Altice USA pitches mobile to SMBs

Altice USA has added a page to its playbook by extending mobile services to small and midsized business (SMB) customers – a move that has already been executed by fellow cable ops Comcast (Xfinity Mobile) and Charter Communications (Spectrum Mobile).

Like Altice USA's residential offering, the new business-focused service, branded Optimum Mobile for Businesses, will rely on the operator's MVNO pact with T-Mobile. The new mobile offering also expands an SMB portfolio at Altice USA that also includes a business-class Wi-Fi platform and a cloud-powered hosted voice service.

"It's critical that Optimum Business meets the needs of businesses across our footprint, and the launch of Optimum Mobile for business customers is an important step in providing complete connectivity to all our customers," Michael Parker, president of business services at Optimum, said in a statement.

To prime the pump, Altice USA is pitching mobile business plans for SMBs starting at $55 per month for one year and savings of up to $40 per month on broadband service when customers bundle in the new mobile product. That promo runs through April 7.

Update: Altice USA provided a bit more detail about the new offering's pricing structure. In addition to the aforementioned bundling option, Optimum Mobile is also available for businesses as a standalone product. Optimum Mobile for Business currently features four plans (two by-the-gig options and two unlimited data options). Businesses can add up to 20 lines to an account. Device options for Optimum Mobile are the same for residential and business customers.

Related:Altice USA goes on the offensive

Altice USA is launching the new service as it looks to accelerate the growth of its overall mobile business and undertake a broader turnaround of the company.

Altice USA, which launched consumer mobile services back in the fall of 2019, added 24,100 mobile lines in Q3 2023 (versus a gain of just +4,100 in the year-ago period), ending the period with 288,200 total mobile lines. Altice USA is scheduled to report Q4 2023 results on February 14.  

"We're converting the culture and converting the leadership and the focus to selling mobile," Altice USA CEO Dennis said at a recent investor conference.

Time will tell if the new mobile offering will rapidly drive financial results into Altice USA's SMB segment, which ended Q3 with 381,000 customers. The company posted Q3 business service revenues of $366.9 million, up a smidge from $366.7 million in the year-ago quarter.