US Gets a New Mobile Provider

Charter Communications launched its new mobile service under the Spectrum Mobile banner at the weekend.

The cableco is providing MVNO services using Verizon’s 4G network and a network of WiFi hotspots. As it stands, the service is only available to its existing and new Spectrum Internet broadband customers.

Users have a choice of two plans: an unlimited usage package for US$45 per month or a metered option, which costs $14 per GB of data. Unlimited plan customers who exceed 20 GB of data will have their speed throttled for the remainder of the bill cycle.

Announcing the launch of the service, Charter said customers can buy mobile devices through instalment plans. Samsung and LG devices are available from launch, with others coming to the portfolio soon.

Charter has been working on the launch of Spectrum Mobile for some time. Earlier this year it appointed Danny Bowman, a former Sprint executive, to the newly-created role of chief mobile officer (CMO).

Charter is among a number of U.S. cable operators making the move into mobile. Comcast launched Xfinity Mobile, also via an MVNO deal with Verizon, last year and Altice, which swallowed up Suddenlink and Cablevision, has struck an MVNO deal with Sprint and aims to launch by 2019.

Charter Communications emerged as the star performer in the most recent edition of Total Telecom’sGlobal 100 report, which ranks the world’s biggest operators by revenues. Its rise up the table to number 16 was largely due to inorganic growth, the firm having acquired major rivals Time Warner Cable and Bright House Networks, but it also benefitted from a methodology tweak in the ranking and – more importantly – pro forma revenue growth. – Total Telecom