When Verizon announced its nationwide 5G coverage this week, it also enabled broader 5G coverage for its MVNO cable partners Comcast and Charter Communications.
Verizon now offers 5G Nationwide covering 200 million people, thanks to Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technology. That's in addition to the Ultra Wideband 5G that it offers in 55 U.S. cities using millimeter wave (mmWave) frequencies; the Ultra Wideband service offers the blazing-fast speeds, whereas the nationwide offering is more akin to 4G.
Both Comcast and Charter announced this week that their 5G coverage was expanding, and they're both adding the latest iPhone to their device portfolios.
Comcast boasts that it offers the lowest 5G entry price of any provider in the country, with nationwide 5G service available to Xfinity Mobile customers at no additional charge.
Xfinity Mobile customers can choose from two nationwide 5G data options – By-the-Gig shared data starting at 1 GB for $15, 3 GB for $30 and 10 GB for $60, or Unlimited for $45 per month per line. Speeds are reduced after 20 GB of cellular data consumed; Wi-Fi usage doesn’t count toward the 20 GB threshold.
“Xfinity Mobile customers already have access to the fastest Internet at home with Xfinity Internet, and now they can access a fast nationwide 5G network when they are on the go,” said Billy Stephens, senior vice president of Wireless Devices for Xfinity Mobile, in a statement. “Not only is Xfinity Mobile the only provider to give its customers the flexibility to seamlessly switch between 5G Unlimited or By-the-Gig data options to save money, but we also deliver the newest, most innovative 5G devices.”
Like Charter, customers who want Comcast’s wireless service must be a customer of its internet service. It also complements its cellular offering with Wi-Fi.
RELATED: Verizon launches DSS, takes center stage during 5G iPhone launch
Charter’s Spectrum Mobile brand launched two years ago and says it’s the fastest growing mobile provider in the country based on second-quarter 2020 subscriber data. Charter, which reports third-quarter results on October 30, added 325,000 subscribers in the second quarter, for a total of 1.69 million wireless subscribers.
$CHTR likely had a minimal number of tablets in their net adds in Q2 but unlikely enough to knock them off their #1 position in Q2 https://t.co/gyspZ8XCjv
— Walter Piecyk (@WaltLightShed) August 6, 2020
Spectrum Mobile also requires no extra charge for 5G. Its data plans start with By the Gig for $14/Gig and Unlimited plans for $45 a month for 20 GB and $55 a month for 30 GB. It also points out that all its plans include 4G and 5G access with no added taxes, fees or contracts.
Taking orders for iPhone 12
The cable companies each issued separate statements about their offers on Apple’s new iPhone 12 lineup.
Xfinity Mobile is offering the entire iPhone 12 lineup, including iPhone 12 Pro, iPhone 12 Pro Max, iPhone 12, and iPhone 12 mini, with 5G. Customers can place orders for the iPhone 12 Pro and iPhone 12 starting today, with availability on October 23. Customers can order the iPhone 12 Pro Max and iPhone 12 mini beginning on November 6, with availability on November 13.
Through January 4, 2021, new customers who port their number to Xfinity Mobile get $250 off when they purchase an Apple device, and existing Xfinity Mobile customers who upgrade to a new Apple device receive a $250 pre-paid card.
Spectrum Mobile offers the entire new iPhone 12 lineup with similar ordering processes and availability. However, customers who switch to Spectrum Mobile will get an extra $100 when they trade in a qualifying device and purchase the iPhone 12.