Verizon Wireless (NYSE: VZ) has wasted no time putting to use the AWS spectrum it bought from Comcast Corporation (NASDAQ: CMCSA) and other cable companies for $3.9 billion last month. Next week Verizon and Comcast will begin offering wireless service, landline service, cable and residential Internet to customers in Seattle and Portland. The Verizon Wireless/Xfinity “quad-play” bundle is expected to be in most major US cities by next year. Customers in Verizon retail stores will be offered the service, and Comcast will promote the offer on the phone and online. In a sign that they plan to market the service aggressively, the nation’s largest wireless carrier and leading cable company are offering new “quad-play” customers prepaid Visa cards worth $100 to $300.
The upcoming launch was first reported by the Philadelphia Inquirer, which is also reporting that Comcast and Verizon are developing technology that will allow customers to easily move content from wireless devices to their TVs and computers. This effort is based in Philadelphia, where Comcast is headquartered.
