Comcast brings Xfinity Mobile nationwide, iPhone users must buy or rent

Posted:
in iPhone
Four months after a limited initial launch, Comcast on Thursday expanded its Xfinity Mobile service to all Xfinity internet customers across the U.S., with some other limitations in tow -- most notably that people buy or rent a new phone.




An iPhone 7, for instance, is $649.99 paid in full, or $27.08 per month for two years. If a person doesn't maintain at least one Xfinity service, a device's full price will be charged. The company is also offering the 7 Plus, SE, and 6s/6s Plus.

The Mobile service itself automatically switches between Comcast Wi-Fi hotspots and the Verizon network. Two subscription tiers are available -- a $45 "unlimited" plan, with throttling after 20 gigabytes, or a $12-per-gigabyte option which is cheaper only if people stay under 3 gigabytes.

The arrangement is similar in some respects to Google's Project Fi, which likewise depends on a mix of Wi-Fi and third-party cellular with per-gigabyte data. Fi doesn't demand any other Google service, but also doesn't offer an unlimited plan, and does require one of four Google-branded phones.

It's as yet unknown if Comcast is planning to carry Apple's rumored "iPhone 8", "iPhone 7s," and/or "7s Plus" at launch. In the U.S. Apple typically prioritizes its own stores, followed by the four major national carriers: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint.

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,034member
    I don't see any cost advantage over T-Mobile.  I already have Wifi calling. What I need is better coverage at home for emergency calls if Comcast internet is out (too often and its the only choice.)
    jbdragonlordjohnwhorfin
  • Reply 2 of 11
    I'd use paper cups and string before I'd sign any contract with Comcast. Wonder what they raise the price to after a year.
    jbdragonSnickersMagoolordjohnwhorfingilly33redgeminipadoozydozentallest skilretired4good
  • Reply 3 of 11
    williamhwilliamh Posts: 1,034member
    stickista said:
    I'd use paper cups and string before I'd sign any contract with Comcast. Wonder what they raise the price to after a year.
    My other “choice” is hughesnet.  Cup and string and costs more than Comcast will in a year. 
  • Reply 4 of 11
    eightzeroeightzero Posts: 3,066member
    stickista said:
    I'd use paper cups and string before I'd sign any contract with Comcast. Wonder what they raise the price to after a year.
    Even if they told me, I wouldn't believe them. Fairly, I've had a Comcast cable modem for many years, and I find it stable, reliable, and fairly priced at $50/mo. 

    But t-moble got me a few days ago with their 1/2 price 2 lines unlimited talk, text, data for those 55+. $60/mo tax included. Score. 
    jbdragondoozydozen
  • Reply 5 of 11
    MplsPMplsP Posts: 3,930member
    I've been a happy T-mo customer for several years. Currently have 6 lines, 2 GB per line for just over $150/month including taxes. Way cheaper than either AT&T or Verizon. The coverage isn't quite as good, but I'm on a wifi network more often than not anyway, and we got free data when we traveled to Europe.  I also like the straightforward way T-mobile does their billing. 

    Comcast is the only choice for broadband where we live, but with that we can log onto  Xfinity wifi hotspots, so I've got the best of both worlds. 
    lordjohnwhorfindoozydozen
  • Reply 6 of 11
    I also have TMo, very satisfied. Lately I've been switching WiFi off because my phone is constantly picking up crappy Xfinity WiFi and choosing it for my internet, dragging my connection to a crawl. If that's the kind of experience they offer, good luck with your rented phone. I loathe Comcast and the second Sonic fiber starts in my neighborhood, sayonara Comcast. I will be even happier than the day I ditched AT&T.
    doozydozen
  • Reply 7 of 11
    stenarstenar Posts: 21member
    I was planning to switch to this after my current contract. I generally use less than 1gb per month, so $12/mo. would be great, but I’m not buying a new iPhone. 
    edited August 2017
  • Reply 8 of 11
    Why must I buy a phone from Comcast. Why can't I bring my own iPhone?
    doozydozen
  • Reply 9 of 11
    maestro64maestro64 Posts: 5,043member
    I can tell you this much, the way comcast gets hotspots is by using your wireless cable modem that you pay them to have in your house. They carve out a portions of your wireless bandwidth and offer it to all other comcast customers who happen to pass by your place. So you're paying comcast so they can use your bandwidth and electricity to offer everyone free hot spots. 

    I will also tell you this services has lots of issues, there is timed my phone locks onto one of the hotspots at someone's place and it will not allow any data, I have to turn off Wi-Fi and go onto LTE to get any data, this happens to me all the time especially if you're in an area with lots of Comcast hotspots. 

    I have Comcast and knew thIs was their plans and when I put in the cable modem which I own they try to convince me it would not work and they wanted me to put in their WiFi cable modem. I said no thanks and they were not happy about, at one point they even offer it to me for free.

    I think this service will suck since voice over WiFi does not work all that well.
  • Reply 10 of 11
    chabigchabig Posts: 641member
    Voice over wifi works perfectly for me.
  • Reply 11 of 11
    I gave them back their wifi router and picked up my own cable modem and paired it with an Apple AirPort Extreme. Everything is hunky dory. 
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