By Andy Szal CED Magazine
Charter Communications, as expected, debuted its new wireless service in recent days to join the ranks of cable operators in the U.S. mobile market.
Spectrum Mobile offers unlimited data plans to current users of the company’s internet service for $45 per line, as well as a “by the gig” plan for $14 per gigabit of data each month.
The $45 rate matches the unlimited plan offered by Comcast’s Xfinity Mobile, while Charter’s per gigabit price is above Xfinity’s $12 per gig rate. Both cable giants are partnering on wireless research and backend systems, and each company’s mobile service is running on an MVNO agreement with Verizon.
Cable companies hope low-cost wireless service will help retain TV and internet customers in the era of cord-cutting. Altice USA is also expected to launch a mobile service next year under a Sprint MVNO, while Cox Communications reached an infrastructure agreement with Sprint earlier this year.