Breezeline preps mobile launch via NCTC's MVNO

Breezeline is the latest member of the National Content & Technology Cooperative (NCTC) to commit to launching a mobile service through the co-op's MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) deal with AT&T and its MVNE (mobile virtual network enablement) agreement with Reach.

Breezeline said it intends to launch the service, branded as Breezeline Mobile, sometime this spring across the markets it serves in 13 states: Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia.

Formerly known as Atlantic Broadband, Breezeline is a unit of Canada's Cogeco Communications. Covering about 1.6 million homes and business locations, Breezeline is the eighth-largest US cable operator.

(Source: Screencap of Breezeline's mobile teaser page taken March 14, 2024)

The Quincy, Massachusetts-based operator will bundle Breezeline Mobile with its home broadband service and initially offer both by-the-gig and unlimited service tiers that customers can change on the fly. Breezeline Mobile will include unlimited nationwide talk and text. A web page about the new offering notes that Breezeline initially will offer four service tiers, but has yet to announce how they stack up and how they will be priced.

BYOD

At the start, Breezeline will use a bring-your-own-device model. Per the fine print, an "unlocked, compatible device" and SIM is required.

Light Reading has asked Breezeline for more details on pricing, packaging, device options and if the new offering will be sold online as well as at the company's physical stores.

"Customers will now have a new choice for affordable, high-performance mobile connectivity, with reliable national coverage and a superior customer experience," Breezeline President Frank van der Post said in a statement.

Operators lining up for NCTC's MVNO

TVS Cable is the first operator to launch mobile services via the NCTC's mobile agreements. Hindman, Kentucky-based TVS Cable initially is selling four service tiers (two by-the-gig plans and two unlimited plans) and is using a digital store to sell smartphones. Allo Communications, another NCTC member, has indicated it will launch mobile services sometime in the first quarter of 2024.

Speaking Tuesday at Light Reading's Cable Next-Gen event in Denver, NCTC CEO Lou Borrelli said about 100 co-op members are exploring mobile launches. The NCTC cuts programming, tech and service deals on behalf of nearly 700 members.

Borrelli said members of all sizes are in position to offer mobile at a profit via the NCTC's agreements with AT&T and Reach. The NCTC currently has deals in place with several top Android device makers, has access to refurbished Apple devices, and supports new Apple and Android devices under the bring-your-own model. NCTC is also working on a way for members to sell new Apple devices.

Breezeline's spring mobile launch ties into a broader trend in which cable operators are bundling mobile with home broadband. Examples include Comcast, Charter Communications and Cox Communications (via MVNO deals with Verizon); Altice USA (T-Mobile MVNO); and WideOpenWest (via Reach on the T-Mobile network).