I've had the same experience with broadband in the UK - unlimited is the norm. The international link costs probably do have an effect with this, but I don't think it is for mobile data. If international links were the limiting factor we'd see ADSL suppliers selling usage at similar rates, but $15 for a GB seems much higher.<p>I think it's actually the capacity of the mobile network. To support more throughput they'll need to install more cell towers, which is a capital expense. The telcos probably find it more profitable to restrict usage and just charge the higher users as much as possible for as long as the network will sustain it.