Comcast planning to launch mobile phone service in 2017September 20, 2016 - 18:28 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - Comcast just solidified long-rumored plans to launch its own MVNO cellular service. Speaking at an investor conference moments ago, CEO Brian Roberts revealed that the Comcast "network" will launch by mid-2017 and put a large focus on Wi-Fi hotspots — similar to Google's Project Fi. When away from Wi-Fi connections, Comcast's service will run on the Verizon Wireless network, The Verge said. Roberts didn't announce pricing or more detailed rollout plans, only saying that Comcast will aim the mobile solution at its existing base of cable customers. That plan would give Comcast its own answer to the one-two punch that AT&T offers through its DirecTV satellite service. In AT&T's case, customers who subscribe to DirecTV get access to an unlimited AT&T mobile data plan that's unavailable to other customers. Comcast says there are over 14 million Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide, a massive footprint that the company would lean on as part of the upcoming mobile service. Some of those are public hotspots — coffee shops, parks, etc. — and others are actually powered by the routers in customer homes and an optional "guest mode" that shares those internet connections with people nearby. Back in July, Comcast promoted executive Greg Butz to lead the freshly created Comcast Mobile division. The company has also signaled interest in the FCC's 600MHz auction. The Verizon-Comcast partnership runs all the way back to a deal reached in 2012, and Comcast alerted Verizon last October of its plans to sell mobile service that operating on Verizon's airwaves. Top stories Yerevan will host the 2024 edition of the World Congress On Information Technology (WCIT). Rustam Badasyan said due to the lack of such regulation, the state budget is deprived of VAT revenues. Krisp’s smart noise suppression tech silences ambient sounds and isolates your voice for calls. Gurgen Khachatryan claimed that the "illegalities have been taking place in 2020." Partner news Most popular in the section | Czech-Armenian military cooperation discussed in Yerevan A delegation led by the Director General for the Industrial Cooperation Division of the Ministry of Defence of the Czech Republic visited Armenia. U.S. welcomes efforts to define Armenia-Azerbaijan border The United States welcomes efforts to define the border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says Vedant Patel. Biden honors resilience of Armenian people on April 24 U.S. President Joe Biden has issued a statement on the 109th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Ex-Karabakh leader moved to solitary confinement cell in Baku, his son says David Vardanyan is the son of former Karabakh leader Ruben Vardanyan who who is currently imprisoned in Azerbaijan. |