The cable giant Comcast will start selling cellphone plans called Xfinity Mobile in the coming months, using a network it’s leasing from Verizon.
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Many subscribers will save money, especially if they don’t use a lot of data. The catch: Only Comcast internet customers can sign up.
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Comcast, which has nearly 25 million high-speed internet customers, said its wireless service is aimed at holding onto its customers. Comcast’s key competitors — ATT’s DirecTV and Verizon’s FiOS — are part of companies with wireless offerings.
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We’re not getting into the mobile business to be the No. 1 carrier, said Sam Schwartz, chief business development officer with Comcast Cable. It’s to benefit our existing core business. We’re not going to make billions of dollars in profit.
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Who Wins
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The best deals will go to Comcast’s highest-tier customers, those who already spend roughly $140 a month with Comcast for internet, video and wired phone services. A family of four could get unlimited data for $180 a month combined, the same as Verizon. Many customers won’t qualify for the special pricing, though; for them, unlimited data for four lines will cost $260.
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Individuals, however, would save on unlimited even without special pricing — $65 a month for Comcast, compared with $80 for Verizon.
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For customers who don’t need a lot of cellular data, Comcast charges a flat rate of $12 per gigabyte of data, enough for about an hour of video but plenty for email and chats.
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Comcast is waiving typical access fees of $20 per line that most carriers charge for enabling voice and text service; the waiver will cover up to five lines. So someone who uses no data would get free wireless service. A couple using four gigabytes a month would pay $48 at Comcast and $90 at Verizon.
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For now, though, Comcast won’t be rolling wireless charges onto the same…