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
Those prices, with the five-year guarantee, are available in all of Comcast’s markets, Shadle said. By way of comparison, he said before this deal, a 400Mbps plan could range from $25 to $30 per month for 12 months that would cost “$69-83 depending on your market” including the price of equipment and unlimited data.
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.)
