Report: Comcast Progressing Toward Wireless Service
Our Take:
Comcast is getting closer to introducing a wireless service that would use Verizon’s network and WiFi hotspots to bring a hybrid cellular and Wi-Fi service to consumers, Bloomberg reports. Comcast has told Verizon that it means to resell Verizon’s wireless service as part of a 2012 airwaves deal, which entailed securing the rights to do so. It’s good news for cable, and bad news for the nation’s top carriers, Verizon and AT&T, New Street Research analyst Jonathan Chaplin said, adding that a service could start as low as $25-$30 a month–quite a bit less than what the current carriers offer. Recall that Cablevision has already moved into the mobile phone space with its Freewheel phone as of last January, but that only works when you’re connected to Wi-Fi.
Comcast Corp. is moving closer to introducing a wireless service that would compete with major U.S. carriers. The country’s largest cable company has told Verizon Communications Inc. that it plans to resell Verizon’s wireless service as part of a 2012 airwaves deal, according to two people familiar with the matter who asked not to be named because the information isn’t public.