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Comcast bucks convention with prepaid broadband under “NOW” branding
Under its new “NOW” brand, Comcast is debuting a host of prepaid service offerings including wireless, fixed broadband, Wi-Fi, and streaming TV
Prepaid mobile plans have been commonplace for years. These plans are often used by consumers with lower incomes and do not require a good credit score, making them more accessible than postpaid plans.
Fixed broadband, on the other hand, requires customer premises equipment (CPE) and an installation process that typically requires providers to send out a technician. Doing so for customers without a credit score presents a degree of risk that providers are generally unwilling to take.
Comcast is one of few providers that has previously offered prepaid broadband through Xfinity Prepaid, with NOW Internet being the company’s new focus in the prepaid segment.
New NOW Internet customers will receive a self-installation kit which includes a Comcast gateway. The gateway has to be plugged into an existing Comcast connection. For homes with no existing connection, Comcast will send along a technician at no cost to the consumer, provided the customer is in Comcast’s existing footprint.
Dave Watson, president and CEO of connectivity and platforms at Comcast, said in a statement that the new prepaid offerings will cater to consumers’ requests for “low-cost, easy-to-use connectivity and entertainment options” that offer the same “reliability and consistency of [Comcast’s] leading Xfinity services”.
The prepaid broadband plan is designed to be easy to use. Once the gateway is plugged in, the customer can set up their service through an app. They can also pause or cancel online at any time.
NOW Internet will offer two prepaid plans. 100Mbps internet is $30/month, and 200Mbps is $45/month. This is intended to complement the existing “Internet Essentials” options for lower-income consumers.
In addition to NOW Internet, Comcast is expanding its prepaid mobile offerings through NOW Mobile.
Comcast already offers existing mobile plans to customers using Verizon’s network, serving around 6.5 million subscribers.
NOW Mobile will offer unlimited 5G, talk and text for $25/month per phone line. It will also allow subscribers to connect to over 23 million Xfinity Wi-Fi hotspots.
The new NOW Wi-Fi Pass will give non-Comcast customers access to all Xfinity hotspots at a cost of $20 for 30 days. Previously, these hotspots were only accessible for Xfinity customers.
The final offering in the new prepaid services is NOW TV. The streaming service includes live and on-demand programming from over 40 networks, in addition to free-ad supported streaming channels and Peacock Premium for only $20/month. This package can be streamed on any device that supports the Xfinity stream app.