Selective consumption of web page data over a data-limited connection

Abstract

A problem with Internet access in a number of markets is the issue of data-limited network connections. Selective, on-demand consumption of web page data is provided. A user's browser presents a 'light' version of a web page by loading compressed or low-fidelity versions of the web page images in place of the actual, higher-fidelity images. In the event that the user wishes to see the original higher-fidelity version of an image, clicking on the image or an associated icon loads the original-fidelity version of the image, replacing the low-fidelity version. The light version of the web page loads faster than would the original version of the web page, and requires less data to be downloaded when rendering the web page. This enables a user with a data-limited connection to select how he or she wishes to 'spend' their data consumption.