How much data an online meeting abroad costs
For people with daily standups, or a daily call home.
Last updated September 4, 2026
Video calls use less data than high-quality streaming, but need steadier speed because traffic runs both ways at once.
5.1 hours
5GB gives roughly that much video call, at 1000MB per hour.
The per-hour figures are middle-of-the-road values; individual apps and quality settings shift them a lot.
Keeping a call up while travelling
- Turn the camera off when you are not speaking — it more than halves the load
- Avoid meetings on high-speed trains, where the phone hops cells constantly
- If it matters, go audio-only at roughly 60MB an hour
Frequently asked questions
What speed does a meeting need?+
Around 3 Mbps each way for ordinary video. Throttled to 512 kbps you get audio only.
Is screen sharing expensive?+
Sharing static slides costs almost nothing; sharing video or fast scrolling costs about as much as high-quality video.
Which plan suits daily meetings?+
Judge on the daily full-speed ceiling, and check hotspot is allowed if the laptop needs to connect.
Where to go next
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