Comcast Gives Wireless Service a Try With Xfinity Mobile

Cable company Comcast just introduced its version of re-branded Verizon wireless service—Xfinity Mobile—which volition be sold to existing Comcast customers for $12/GB of data or up to $65/line for an "unlimited" program.

Comcast didn't say when the service launches publicly. It's making the announcement today because the service is rolling out to the company'south more than than 150,000 employees, with a retail launch "soon," Comcast EVP of investor relations Jason Armstrong said.

But Comcast Internet subscribers will be able to buy Xfinity Mobile. Low-usage plans start at $12/line/GB, including unlimited talk and text. In that location'southward also an "unlimited" data plan, throttled in some unspecified way after 20GB. That will toll $65, or $45 for "premium X1" customers. Only half of Comcast's 29 1000000 customers accept the option to take the company's nearly advanced X1 cable service, Armstrong said.

Comcast Xfinity Mobile Plans

The carrier will offering the iPhone vii, iPhone seven Plus, Galaxy S7 and Edge, Galaxy S8 and S8+, and the LG 10 Power at launch, according to launch outcome slides. Prices looked comparable to other major carriers; yous'll be able to pay up forepart for your phone, or over a 24-month payment menses.

Xfinity Prices, Compared

Comcast's rate of $45/month for 20GB (plus more, after throttling) on the Verizon network, available simply to "premium X1 subscribers," looks like a great bargain. Its $12/GB and $65/month plans are as well good deals, but there are competitive offers out at that place that may be improve.

For example, 5GB on the Verizon network with Walmart'south Total Wireless costs $35/month, less than Comcast is charging. If you're okay with non-Verizon networks, Sprint, Boost, and MetroPCS all undercut Comcast'due south single-line unlimited bargain at $fifty. For two lines, Sprint charges $fourscore and T-Mobile charges $100.

Besides, it's unclear withal if Xfinity Mobile volition suffer from the speed limits that Verizon places on other virtual networks that apply its organisation. Total Wireless, Page Plus, and others are express to 5Mbps speeds, a fraction of Verizon'southward potential.

That said, Comcast's rates are lower than what many people would be paying on legacy AT&T and Verizon family plans. They'd allow customers to consolidate nether a single bill, and the phones will auto-cosign to Comcast Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspots to improve speeds and coverage. Comcast phones will also come pre-populated and pre-logged-in with Comcast'south Xfinity Mobile apps, which will let people watch TV and on-need movies at will.

Even so, the phones won't hand off between Wi-Fi and LTE, meaning calls started on Wi-Fi networks will drop when you lot go out of range. Comcast customers can switch between plans at volition, much like customers on Ting and Google Fi.

Everybody Hates Comcast

Comcast's greatest challenge here is that everyone hates Comcast.

The company has a spectacularly low score on the Academy of Michigan's American Consumer Satisfaction Index. At 59, it'south one of the everyman in the ISPs group, and at 62, it's below average for "subscription television services." It gets a lower score than every cell phone company, every airline except Spirit, every bank and every utility company.

In J.D. Power's rating of major wireline services, the firm received the worst scores in cost to consumer, operation, billing, and reliability. It'south regularly garnered awards for "America's Most Hated Company."

Many of these complaints center around Comcast's customer service, and Xfinity Mobile seems to be trying to improve that with options like 24/vii technical and billing support via SMS text.

"Nosotros accept a proven rails record, and our forcefulness, our advantage ... is our experience," Greg Butz, president of Comcast Mobile said.