With smartphones spreading and data usage on the rise, mobile providers across the United States are starting to do away with unlimited usage plans as we once knew them. AT&T recently announced that it will soon begin throttling, or cutting the transfer speeds, for its heaviest unlimited-plan users. You'll still be able to use as much data over the course of a month as you would like, but AT&T will be watching you; it will start cutting your transfer speeds so you don't slow down the entire network.

Despite what's happening in the U.S., "[m]any countries still offer unlimited mobile data to customers, at varying prices," according to TechnoBuffalo, which first alerted us to this infographic created by Android Tablet Fanatic. It allows you to quickly compare mobile Internet costs around the world -- provided you know what the flags of various countries look like.

Infographics are always a bit of a hodgepodge of statistics culled from a variety of sources. Here, we sort through the clutter and pull out some of our favorite facts and figures:

• Sweden's Telesonaro is one of the fastest mobile operators on Earth, with 80Mbps available for $78 per month with 30GB usage.
• Japan's Docomo is another of the fastest mobile operators on Earth, with 37.5Mbps available for $54 per month with unlimited usage.
• South Korea has mobile Internet that is considered among the best value for heavy users. It offers 40.32Mbps service with unlimited usage for just $54 per month.
  

Check out more Infographics on the Technology Channel.