Astound Broadband IDs first mobile markets, reveals pricing plansAstound Broadband IDs first mobile markets, reveals pricing plans

Running on the T-Mobile network, Astound Mobile will launch in Massachusetts and several Texas markets later this month. Unlimited plans start at $40/month and by-the-Gig plans start at $15/month.

Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor

June 15, 2023

3 Min Read
Astound Broadband IDs first mobile markets, reveals pricing plans
(Source: Astound Broadband)

Another US cable operator is about to toss its hat in the mobile ring.

Astound Broadband said it will launch its new mobile service in a handful of markets later this month. The operator also has revealed pricing for unlimited and by-the-Gig plans that include discounts when customers add multiple lines to their package.

Astound Mobile, a service that will ride T-Mobile's mobile network and rely on a multi-year partnership with Reach, will initially launch later this month in the company's RCN markets in Massachusetts and in its Grande Communications markets in Corpus Christi, Midland-Odessa, Temple and Waco, Texas.

Astound said it plans to launch Astound Mobile in its remaining markets later this year. Astound serves about 4 million homes in parts of California, Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Maryland, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Texas, Washington and Washington, D.C.

In addition to RCN and Grande, Astound's other sub-brands include Wave Broadband and enTouch Systems.

Like US cable operators such as Comcast, Cox Communications and Charter Communications, Astound will make its new mobile service available to customers who bundle in the company's home broadband service.

And like some of its cable peers, Astound Mobile will feature both unlimited and by-the-Gig plans that can be changed in the middle of a billing cycle. Astound Mobile is a no-contract service that includes unlimited talk and text and supports Wi-Fi calling and mobile hotspots.

Astound Mobile's website notes that device financing will be offered through a third party called Affirm. Astound Mobile's online store currently features several smartphone models from Apple, Samsung, Google, Motorola, OnePlus, NUU and Alcatel.

Unlimited and by-the-Gig plans, multi-line discounts

According to data posted online, Astound Mobile is starting off with two unlimited tiers and two by-the-Gig options (3GB and 1.5GB, with an option to purchase more data at $10 per gigabyte).

Unlimited+ includes unlimited data and HD-quality video streaming, and Unlimited includes unlimited data and standard-definition quality video streaming. Both by-the-Gig options support standard-quality streaming.

Astound Mobile also allows customers to buy up to five lines per account, and offers discounts on all plans except the 1.5GB by-the-Gig plan as lines are added. Here's how those plans stack up:

Plan

1 line

2 lines (discount)

3 lines (discount)

4 lines (discount)

5 lines (discount)

Unlimited+

$50/month

$80/month ($20 discount)

$120/month ($30 discount)

$160/month ($40 discount)

$190/month ($60 discount)

Unlimited

$40/month

$60/month ($20 discount)

$90 ($30 discount)

$120/month ($40 discount)

$140/month ($60 discount)

By-the-Gig: 3GB*

$25/month

$40 ($10 discount)

$55/month ($15 discount)

$65/month ($35 discount)

$75/month ($50 discount)

By-the-Gig: 1.5GB*

$15/month

$30/month (no discount)

$45/month (no discount)

$60/month (no discount)

$75/month (no discount)

Astound announced last month that it was gearing up for the mobile service launch.

Cable's move into mobile

With this month's launch, Astound will join a growing group of cable operators that have added mobile to their bundles. Comcast, Charter and Cox are offering their respective mobile services through MVNO pacts with Verizon. WideOpenWest runs its mobile service on T-Mobile's network and relies on a partnership with Reach. Altice USA is also marketing mobile through an MVNO pact with T-Mobile.

The National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC), an organization that represents hundreds of small and midsized operators, recently cut deals with Reach and AT&T that enable its members to launch mobile services.

Led by Comcast and Charter, which have combined to add about 12 million mobile lines, cable is gaining ground in mobile. US cable accounted for nearly 75% of total industry phone net adds in Q1 2023, according to MoffettNathanson (a unit of SVB Securities).

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— Jeff Baumgartner, Senior Editor, Light Reading

About the Author

Jeff Baumgartner

Senior Editor, Light Reading

Jeff Baumgartner is a Senior Editor for Light Reading and is responsible for the day-to-day news coverage and analysis of the cable and video sectors. Follow him on X and LinkedIn.

Baumgartner also served as Site Editor for Light Reading Cable from 2007-2013. In between his two stints at Light Reading, he led tech coverage for Multichannel News and was a regular contributor to Broadcasting + Cable. Baumgartner was named to the 2018 class of the Cable TV Pioneers.

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