In an earnings call, the cable giant says it’s addressing those ‘pain points,’ but lifting data caps aren’t yet among the possible solutions.
The talking points in Comcast’s Q1 earnings call included an unusual item: the “pain points” the company admitted to inflicting on its Xfinity broadband customers, which it further admitted were costing it business.
«We are not winning in the marketplace in a way that is commensurate with the strength of [our] network and connectivity products,” said Comcast President Mike Cavanagh. “One [reason] is price transparency and predictability, and the other is the level of ease of doing business with us.”
Both problems are “fixable,” Cavanagh said, «with execution plans.already underway.»
He pointed to the five-year rate guarantee Comcast introduced last week, which advertises a lock on base rates (but not taxes and fees) that start at $55 a month for 400Mbps downloads and include free rental of a Wi-Fi gateway plus unlimited data, with no contract required. These plans also throw in one year of free wireless service at Comcast’s Xfinity Mobile, which combines resold Verizon Wireless capacity with the company’s own Wi-Fi network.
Cavanaugh and other executives hinted at more along those lines. “Providing more value to our customers with less complexity and friction is a top priority, and you will see our go-to-market approach continue to evolve over the coming months,” he said.
Jason Armstrong, Comcast’s chief financial officer, said the company would “focus on pricing transparency and simplicity, a unified national approach and more products translating into more value for our customers,” to be continued with “other actions we will take in the coming months.
