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Comcast brings Xfinity Mobile nationwide, iPhone users must buy or rent

Four months after a limited initial launch, Comcast on Thursday expanded its Xfinity Mobile service to all Xfinity internet customers across the U.S., with some other limitations in tow — most notably that people buy or rent a new phone.

An iPhone 7, for instance, is $649.99 paid in full, or $27.08 per month for two years. If a person doesn't maintain at least one Xfinity service, a device's full price will be charged. The company is also offering the 7 Plus, SE, and 6s/6s Plus.

The Mobile service itself automatically switches between Comcast Wi-Fi hotspots and the Verizon network. Two subscription tiers are available — a $45 "unlimited" plan, with throttling after 20 gigabytes, or a $12-per-gigabyte option which is cheaper only if people stay under 3 gigabytes.

The arrangement is similar in some respects to Google's Project Fi, which likewise depends on a mix of Wi-Fi and third-party cellular with per-gigabyte data. Fi doesn't demand any other Google service, but also doesn't offer an unlimited plan, and does require one of four Google-branded phones.

It's as yet unknown if Comcast is planning to carry Apple's rumored "iPhone 8", "iPhone 7s," and/or "7s Plus" at launch. In the U.S. Apple typically prioritizes its own stores, followed by the four major national carriers: AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, and Sprint.