Verizon adds wireless to bundle for quad play

Verizon Communications Inc. began to offer the much-touted quadruple play of wireless, landline, TV and Internet services ahead of rival cable companies that are rolling out wireless services through their investments in Clearwire Corp.
Verizon said depending on which bundle customers buy, they can save anywhere from $60 to $180 by combining the services instead of buying the individual services separately. The company had been offering TV, Internet and landline services as a triple bundle since 2005, but now is including wireless service. The company sells DirectTV as part of its TV offer. Customers are not forced to buy landline phone service, however; the company has a package that leaves that service out of the mix. Existing wireless customers can add other services to their packages, and existing double or triple-play customers can add wireless to the mix.
The service initially is open to customers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic region, but is expected to expand further. The basic wireless plan included in the bundle has 450 calling minutes available, but Verizon said a number of combinations of services are available.
The move comes as consumers drop landline services and increasingly are becoming more dependent on wireless services. Cable companies, which compete with telephone companies for broadband services, have lacked the wireless component for a quad play. As such, cable companies Comcast Corp., Time Warner Cable Inc. and Bright House Networks have invested in Clearwire as the WiMAX provider rolls out service. Time Warner was the most recent carrier to say it will sell Clearwire services in its North Carolina markets in December.