Tag: Altice Mobile

Power washing

Altice Mobile Rebranding To Optimum Mobile

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In a press release today, Altice USA announced that Altice Mobile will rebrand as Optimum Mobile. The change is slotted to take place this Sunday, July 25.

It looks like the rebrand is part of a broader effort to consolidate Altice USA’s businesses under the Optimum name:

This transition represents the first step in the Company’s plan to align its brands under one national Optimum brand, representing a commitment to delivering a consistent and reliable connectivity experience to all customers.

While I’ve been critical of some of the marketing behind Altice Mobile, I expect Alice/Optimum Mobile’s subscriber base will continue to see significant growth.

Reviewing Altice Mobile’s “Unlimited” Policies and Pricing

Christian 1 Comment

Alice Mobile recently increased its prices by $10 per month. Service now costs $30 each month for Optimum or Suddenlink customers and $40 per month for everyone else.

In September, I argued that Altice Mobile was doing a lousy job of disclosing the limitations that came with the carrier’s supposedly “unlimited” plan. Given the recent price increase, I figured now would be a good time to revisit Altice Mobile’s policies.

Limits continue

Altice is still imposing a lot of limits on its “unlimited” plan:1

  • Mobile hotspot speeds are still throttled to 600Kbps.
  • Video is still throttled to about 480p.
  • Roaming data is still throttled to 128Kbps.

Previously, video and hotspot traffic would be throttled more intensely after 50GB of use. It looks like Altice has decreased that threshold to 20GB.

“Unlimited Everything” continues

Altice continues to advertise “unlimited everything.” Here’s a screenshot from Altice’s website today:

Altice Mobile screenshot

As before, it’s misleading for Altice to suggest subscribers can stream an unlimited amount of video or use an unlimited amount of mobile hotspot data. After 20GB of use, subscribers will be throttled to a maximum speed of 128Kbps for video and hotspot traffic. At 128Kbps, continuous streaming of conventional video won’t be possible.2 Many activities subscribers will want to do over a hotspot connection will be frustratingly sluggish if not impossible.3

Improved disclosures

To Altice’s credit, it looks like the carrier is doing a bit better disclosing limitations. With a single click, website visitors can view additional information:

Altice’s Broadband Disclosure Information seems easier to find than it was previously. While the disclosures still fall short of being explicit or easy-to-understand, Altice is moving in the right direction.