TVS Cable first to launch mobile through NCTC pacts with AT&T and Reach

TVS Cable is the first operator to launch mobile services via the National Content & Technology Cooperative's (NCTC's) agreements with AT&T and Reach.

Hindman, Kentucky-based TVS Cable has branded the new offering as "TGTVS Mobile" and has published a website that presents a handful of by-the-gig and unlimited service plans as well as an online device store.

(Source: tgtvsmobile.com) TVS Cable mobile service screen capture taken February 27, 2024.

Notably, TVS Cable's mobile site makes no mention of a home broadband service bundling requirement, suggesting that the company is making mobile available on a standalone basis – at least at the outset.

TVS Cable is kicking off its mobile service with four plans that go down in price as customers buy additional lines (up to six):

Related:NCTC members will profit from org's new MVNO deal, CEO says

All four plans are contract-free and come with unlimited talk and text and access to AT&T's 5G network. TVS Cable's unlimited plans support mobile hotspots (up to 5GB of data per month). TVS Cable has also set up a bill calculator to help customers determine the right plans based on usage and the number of lines needed.

TVS Cable also launched an online store for smartphones that is currently limited to Android devices such as the Samsung Galaxy S23 ($829), Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 ($1,049), Google Pixel 8 ($749), TCL Flip 2 ($99) and TCL ION V ($119), among others. TVS Cable's mobile site also notes that customers can finance their smartphones.

TVS Cable also supports a bring-your-own-device model and has set up a way for prospective customers to ensure their smartphones are unlocked and network-compatible.

Currently, customers pay for service using a credit card (through Reach's software-as-a-service platform).

NCTC has been asked if and when its members will be able to offer iPhone models.

Update: NCTC said it members currently have access to refurbished Apple devices, can support Apple devices via its bring-your-own-device model, and is looking to expand on that.

"The NCTC is excited to have developed relationships with the top Android OEM's in the US and to be able to offer them through our member company device stores," Jared Baumann, VP of technology innovation at NCTC, said in a statement. "We likewise have a few of the most popular Apple devices available as nicely refurbished devices. The NCTC is working to include new Apple devices into our line up in the future, but customers can bring their own devices (Android or Apple) to any NCTC operator today."

Related:NCTC strikes exclusive MVNO pact with AT&T

"We have successfully launched mobile services to our customers to keep up with their evolving needs and to streamline their customer experience by offering cable services, internet and mobile all in one place," TVS Cable GM David Thacker said in a statement.

More mobile launches in the works

TVS Cable's mobile launch emerges nearly ten months after NCTC announced an MVNO agreement with AT&T and nearly a year after the co-op announced its mobile virtual network enablement (MVNE) partnership with Reach. TVS Cable's mobile launch coincided with this week's NCTC Winter Educational Conference in Las Vegas.

NCTC, an organization that cuts programming and tech deals for nearly 700 cable operator members, has been in the process of onboarding customers to the organization's new mobile offering since last year.

Related:Fiber operator Allo to launch MVNO in Q1

"TVS Cable is one of the first of many members that are in the pipeline for launch, and we expect that number to continue to grow as our member companies continue to support the growing needs and desires of their customers," NCTC CEO Lou Borrelli said in a statement.

Speaking last summer at The Independent Show, Borrelli said NCTC members are in position to offer mobile service at the non-promotional price of $30 per line – and still make a profit.

"Our deal has no loss leaders in terms of market plans. The market standard outside of promotional pricing ... is $30 per line," Borrelli said then.

Notably, NCTC members have flexibility on how they price and package mobile.

At least one additional NCTC member, Allo Communications, intends to launch mobile service in the first quarter of 2024. Allo, a fiber network operator serving parts of Nebraska, Colorado and Arizona, is expected to bundle mobile with its home broadband services. Allo also has not revealed pricing for its emerging mobile offering.

Mediacom Communications, another NCTC member, has hinted that it has a mobile product in the works, but it has not announced the timing and if it will take advantage of NCTC's agreements with AT&T and Reach.

Another NCTC member, WideOpenWest (WOW), launched a mobile product in partnership with Reach in June 2022 that rides the T-Mobile network. WOW has yet to announce how many mobile customers it has signed up.

The NCTC agreements with Reach and AT&T will help a broader group of cable operators add mobile to the mix.

Outside the NCTC scope, Comcast, Charter Communications and Cox Communications have launched mobile services via MVNO deals with Verizon Communications, and Altice USA has introduced a mobile service, now branded as Optimum Mobile, through its partnership with T-Mobile.