Xfinity Mobile, a Mobile Virtual Network Operator owned by Comcast, has announced new restrictions on video quality and hotspot speeds. For those who are unaware, Xfinity Mobile is the MVNO that’s available exclusively to Comcast’s home internet customers and runs on Verizon’s network. The new limitations have been placed on maximum video quality and hotspot speeds that customers can access when they’re on cellular data.
Comcast has informed Xfinity Mobile customers in an email that the video quality is going to be restricted to 480p soon. The company says that this change is going to aid subscribers to “conserve data,” and that this can also help them save money if they pay “By the Gig and take longer to reach the 20GB threshold if you have the Unlimited data option.”
Their speeds will drop to 1.5Mbps download and 750kbps upload after those on the unlimited plan use more than 20GB of data in a month. Xfinity Mobile customers can currently request for an upgrade which will enable them to play 720p video on cellular for free but Comcast will eventually charge an additional monthly fee for HD resolution later this year.
Those who are on the $45 unlimited plan won’t be able to do much with the hotspot feature. The speeds will be capped at 600kbps when the cellular data is shared with other devices and there’s no way to upgrade the speed on this plan. Customers will only be able to do that if they opt for the By the Gig data option which charges $12 per GB of data.
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