Comcast Makes SD Standard for Video on Its Mobile MVNO, With Slower Speeds for Tethering

All Comcast Xfinity Mobile users will see standard-definition video by default on the mobile network, while unlimited-plan users will get slower speeds when tethering, under policy changes. Video will be streamed at 480p by default, “consistent with standard unlimited plans across standards,” though customers may stream HD video over Wi-Fi, a spokesperson emailed Tuesday. Comcast plans to charge extra for 720p resolution later this year; until then, customers may request it for free temporarily, he said. Comcast further explained the video policy change on a support page updated Monday. When using a phone as a hot spot, unlimited-plan users will get 3G speeds, while users paying $12 per gigabyte get 4G speeds, he said. The changes are to keep price down, the spokesperson said. The mobile virtual network operator unlimited plan costs $45 monthly for 20 GB of 4G data.