Comcast is launching a new wireless service with an unlimited data plan, making it the first major U.S. cable provider to enter into the highly competitive wireless market, as it faces pressure in its core business.

Unlimited data, talk and text on Xfinity Mobile will be available for $65 per line for up to five lines, or $45 per line for customers with Comcast’s top X1 packages, which bundle together TV, internet and phone services. Alternatively, customers can opt to pay $12 per gigabyte each month.
The move into the wireless business by the U.S. No. 1 cable provider shows how cable companies are looking to add more services to their offerings with the hope of reducing customer churn as younger viewers back away from high-priced subscriptions. Rival cable provider Charter Communications is also planning to launch a wireless service in 2018.

Xfinity Mobile will launch on Verizon’s airwaves as part of a 2011 agreement between the two companies. It will employ Comcast’s 16 million Wi-Fi hotspots within its footprint, allowing customers to automatically switch onto Wi-Fi from 4G LTE.

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