Update: Some more complete info about plans and pricing is available on Astound’s website.
Internet service provider Astound Broadband announced it will launch an MVNO running over T-Mobile’s network. Astound Mobile will heavily rely on infrastructure from Reach.
Like the other carriers operated by cable companies, Astound Mobile will limit its offerings to the company’s internet customers. Rollout of the new service across Astound’s customer base will be gradual:
Today’s announcement was fairly vague about Astound Mobile’s offerings:
Poking around Astound’s website, especially in legal details and disclaimers, I found a few hints about plans for Astound Mobile. I also found a few contradictions, so all this should be treated with a grain of salt.
Astound Mobile’s Plans
One disclaimer gives clues about the data allotments on the four plans:
Since it’s possible to reach a threshold on the unlimited plans, I expect Astound will follow the industry norm of labeling some plans “unlimited” in a somewhat bogus fashion. To Astound’s credit, 768Kbps speeds are far more usable than the 128 – 256Kbps throttles often seen on other MVNOs’ “unlimited” plans.
On another page, I found a somewhat different description of Astound’s plans:
Devices
On one page of legal details, Astound emphasizes this text:
However, “Device financing (through third party)” is listed as a feature in an FAQ item on Astound Mobile’s web page about coverage.
Other Details
Astound’s website gives a few more details, though I wouldn’t treat any of this information with confidence:
- International roaming outside of the US, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands appears unavailable.
- WiFi calling is listed as a feature on the coverage page.
- A legal document explains that only Astound Broadband Internet customers are eligible to sign up for mobile services, but subscribers are not “required to maintain the Astound Broadband Internet plan to continue Astound Mobile Services”.
