Astound Broadband plans to launch the first markets for its mobile offering this month. In a press release, the company formally announced what it told Telecompetitor last month – that the service will be underpinned by T-Mobile’s cellular network.
The first two Astound mobile markets will be in Massachusetts and in Corpus Christi, Midland-Odessa, Temple, and Waco, Texas. The company expects to have service available in its remaining cable markets this year.
Astound is the latest cable company to launch a mobile offering. Comcast and Charter were the first to jump in and have had considerable success with their offerings.
Cable companies generally only offer service to their own broadband customers, and Astound will use that approach as well.
Another similarity: Astound plans to offer “pay by the gig” plans as well as unlimited talk and text plans. Customers will choose between two plans for each of those offers.
“Astound’s entrance into the wireless market comes at a time when the need for fast, reliable, high-value broadband and mobile services is at an all-time high and more critical than ever,” said Jim Holanda, Astound CEO, in a press release. “Through our relationship with T-Mobile, we’ll bring exceptional choice, value and savings, and competitive, award-winning services that customers need to stay connected to their world.”
According to the release, Astound is the nation’s sixth largest cable provider. The company’s assets include those that previously belonged to RCN, Grande Communictions, Wave Broadband and enTouch Systems.
A key element of Astound’s mobile offering is a software-as-a-service (SaaS) platform from Reach.
Astound operates in Chicago, Indiana, Eastern Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York City, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Texas, and regions throughout California, Oregon, and Washington.
