Comcast to bring TV shows to phones
updated 05:00 pm EDT, Wed September 16, 2009
Comcast to offer TV cellphone, 4G services
Cable provider Comcast on Wednesday announced it would offer its subscribers a service that would allow them to view TV shows on their cellphones. The shows will be delivered via a wireless Internet service, which would require Comcast to provide a voice service and compete with the likes of AT&T and Verizon. Comcast has recently rolled out WiMAX wireless Internet services in certain large US cities under a joint venture with Clearwire.
The TV show service will be called On Demand Online and would at first be delivered to users' homes. The move represents Comcast's attempt to keep its subscribers, who are increasingly depending on free or less costly web services that offer TV content on the web, including Hulu and YouTube.
A Comcast representative also mentioned that Comcast's voice networks will eventually rely on the WiMAX network, adding that it's too early to reveal details. Comcast previously had a struggling partnership with Sprint Nextel on providing mobile phone services.
