In race with cable, AT&T pushes discounted bundle

(AP) -- AT&T Inc. has started offering its first bundle discount for customers who combine its U-Verse TV service with wireless and broadband.

AT&T said Monday that customers who sign up for U-Verse TV and a cell phone plan for at least 450 minutes per month, or for U-Verse phone service, will get $30 per month off broadband for six months.

The offer is available only in Illinois, Indiana, Wisconsin, Michigan and Ohio, but it will expand to other U-Verse markets in the next few weeks, the Dallas-based company said. U-Verse is available to about 13 million households.

AT&T has previously provided monthly discounts to people who have signed up for wireless service and non-U-Verse broadband at home.

Verizon Communications Inc., the second-largest phone company after AT&T, started providing bundle discounts with its TV service and broadband service last year.

Both companies are competing with cable companies for video and Internet subscribers, and trying to emphasize their wireless networks as assets the cable companies can't match.

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