Comcast has announced that new customers can choose a five-year, guaranteed price lock-in for its Xfinity internet plans. The plans won’t require an annual contract, and range in price from $55 to $105 per month, according to a release emailed to The Verge. They also include unlimited data.
It’s a nice thought, being able to put off the rigamarole of calling my ISP every year or two to beg them to bring me back down to the price that got me in the door in the first place. The plans come with a modem / router combo and a 12-month Xfinity Mobile cellular plan at no extra cost, with extra lines costing $20 per month.
In a separate email, Comcast spokesperson Joel Shadle gave The Verge a breakdown of the pricing for cable tiers (download and upload speeds, respectively) that are available with the price lock-in:
400/150 Mbps – $55/month
600/150 Mbps – $70/month
1.1 Gbps/300 Mbps – $85/month
2.1 Gbps/300 Mbps – $105/month
By way of comparison, he said before this deal, a 400Mbps plan could range from $25 to $30 per month for 12 months. Barring promotions, unlimited data, and equipment rentals, the older plans would have cost “$69-83 depending on your market.”
Finally, he said that the prices also apply to Comcast’s fiber internet plans, and added that “the 400 Mbps, 600 Mbps and 1.1 Gbps speeds are symmetrical,” meaning upload and download throughput are equal.
(Disclosure: Comcast is an investor in Vox Media, The Verge’s parent company.)
Correction April 15th: A previous version of this story misrepresented Comcast’s previous rates. The “$69-83” price given was without promotions and did not include equipment rentals or unlimited data.
