Key Points
- Comcast introduced new Mobile Select and Mobile Plus plans to expand its Xfinity Mobile offerings.
- The plans offer unlimited data with flat per-line pricing, removing discounts for multiple lines.
- Comcast aims to boost wireless revenue and ARPU as its mobile business grows past 9 million lines.
Comcast has updated its Xfinity Mobile wireless plans to include two new options that allow its Xfinity TV and Xfinity Internet customers to take advantage of unlimited talk, texting and data at prices that are lower than comparable post-paid wireless plans.
The new plans are Mobile Select ($30 per month) and Mobile Plus ($45 per month), which allow customers to connect to Verizon‘s 4G LTE and 5G wireless networks and more than 23 million Xfinity WiFi hotspots located across the country.
Mobile Select is geared toward price-conscious wireless customers who want to take advantage of Xfinity’s bundling opportunities with home internet and/or TV service, with unlimited talk, texting and data and without hidden fees or surcharges. Mobile Select includes 50 Gigabytes (GBs) of premium wireless data on Verizon’s network, after which customers might see connection slow-downs during periods of network congestion.
Mobile Plus targets wireless super-users who want the absolute best from their phones. That plan includes unlimited premium wireless data, plus the ability to stream video content in ultra high-definition (UHD/4K) on their smartphones. Mobile Plus also includes the ability to upgrade a device at any time and lifetime device protection.
Both plans include Xfinity’s Global Travel Pass, which allows customers to use their phones when traveling abroad. Mobile Select includes 15 GBs of wireless hotspot data, while Mobile Plus includes 50 GBs of hotspot data.
Crucially, the new phone plans eliminate multiple line discounts for customers, with Comcast moving to a flat, per-line rate for service. That means customers won’t save money if they purchase two or more lines of service, but they can save money by mixing plans — say, Mobile Plus for mom and dad’s phones at $90 per month, and Mobile Select at $30 per month for junior (total cost: $120 per month).
Jeff Baumgartner, the Senior Editor at Light Reading, speculated that the new rates are an attempt by Comcast to generate more revenue from its wireless phone customers as that portion of the company’s business continues to experience growth.
“Comcast’s new pair of plans should put the operator in position to boost mobile average revenue per user (ARPU), because the price per line is no longer reduced as customers add more lines,” Baumgartner wrote on Wednesday.
Existing Xfinity Mobile customers with legacy lines, including those with multi-line discounts, can continue to keep their plans if they like them. New customers will be offered Mobile Select or Mobile Plus; one line of Mobile Select is included with new Xfinity Internet service for one year, while eligible new customers can purchase their first line of Xfinity Plus at $15 per month for one year.
Comcast ended its most-recent financial quarter with slightly more than 9 million active wireless lines. The company doesn’t offer information on wireless accounts; most Xfinity account holders have more than one line of service.
Comcast reports its first quarter (Q1) financial earnings later this week.
