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Cablevision, Comcast, Time Warner Cable Strike Wi-Fi Pact
Customers of any three can now roam all three's Wi-Fi hotspots, free

Cablevision, Time Warner Cable and Comcast later on today will be making a joint announcement that the three cable operators have joined forces in their New York City metro area Wi-Fi ambitions. All three companies currently offer free Wi-Fi service to their cable subscribers in a number of NY/NJ/CT markets. However, starting today the companies say users who subscribe to broadband service from any of the three carriers can now access hotspots from either of the other two carriers -- for free.

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In other words, if you're a customer of any of the three companies and you're wandering the New York Metropolitan area using your iPad (see right), you'll be able to join any of the networks for free. "This is active today - authentication for all three networks is present on every access point," Cablevision spokesman Jim Maiella tells Broadband Reports.

This is probably particularly good news for Time Warner Cable customers. Time Warner Cable's Wi-Fi footprint at the moment is relatively small. Cablevision, on the other hand, decided to spend $300 million to not only upgrade their cable network to DOCSIS 3.0, but to deliver free Wi-Fi to a significant number of locations and train stations in the market.

"This agreement - the first of its kind and, we believe, the first of many - combines the reach and the value of our respective WiFi deployments and delivers fast and free wireless Internet access that stretches across the market, at a time when consumer demand for mobile data is exploding," says Cablevision president of cable and communications John Bickham.

It's of course a nice alternative in an age of $60 3G data plans, and the cable sector hope this gives them a little additional competitive ammunition in their respective battle against Verizon and other operators in the New York market.
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FactChecker
Premium Member
join:2008-06-03

1 edit

FactChecker

Premium Member

Great for the Cell Phone companies

This is great for all those wireless carriers that block you from accessing competitive Internet applications from your iPhone, smartphone, etc. The phone uses someone elses network bandwidth instead of their 3G.
Bobcat79
Premium Member
join:2001-02-04

1 recommendation

Bobcat79

Premium Member

It's not "free"

It's included.
moonpuppy (banned)
join:2000-08-21
Glen Burnie, MD

moonpuppy (banned)

Member

Re: It's not "free"

said by Bobcat79:

It's included.
But since it is free, there will be no service credits if it doesn't work.


ArrayList
DevOps
Premium Member
join:2005-03-19
Mullica Hill, NJ

ArrayList

Premium Member

Re: It's not "free"

with it being free, does it actually have any value then?

Tron4Net
join:2010-01-14
Corrales, NM

Tron4Net to moonpuppy

Member

to moonpuppy
Its only a small band of rebels that know the sidious truth of these retched cable and telecos lies. Power to all the members here!

NickD
Premium Member
join:2000-11-17
Princeton Junction, NJ

NickD to moonpuppy

Premium Member

to moonpuppy
They should figure out a way to serve up free wifi from any customer's cable modem. The wifi would be free to use by any subscriber of the 3 services, and bandwidth used would not count against the customer's limit if used by other people, and QOS would prioritize the customer's own traffic.
That would expand the network into every neighborhood, and any business that subscribes to one of the 3 services would be able to offer free wifi to their customers.
Of course, the cell companies like AT&T would like it because it would significantly reduce the load on their network, while the customer is still paying for 3G from AT&T. In Manhattan, it's hard to be out of range of any Wi-Fi network. If they were all free for cable customers, most mobile bandwidth would go out over the wi-fi networks. The cable companies can handle the traffic much easier with DOCSIS 3.0.
33358088 (banned)
join:2008-09-23

33358088 (banned)

Member

hey its monopolization time

look at how canada is doing it and make $$$$$$$
screw the customer and if you htink we'll all be having cheaper internet this century THINK AGAIN
the real estate scamers are now YOUR internet providers
cant wait for the next chapter of the USA sucks worse
glinc
join:2009-04-07
New York, NY

glinc

Member

Ouch VZ

Verizon better step up the plate lol. While I love FiOS, I think their wi-fi is lame (due to software) and not that many wi-fi spots at all around nyc.
Bobcat79
Premium Member
join:2001-02-04

Bobcat79

Premium Member

Re: Ouch VZ

You want lame? I'll show you lame. CV's coverage in my town: Zero (0) WiFi sites.

dennismurphy
Put me on hold? I'll put YOU on hold
Premium Member
join:2002-11-19
Parsippany, NJ

dennismurphy

Premium Member

Re: Ouch VZ

said by Bobcat79:

You want lame? I'll show you lame. CV's coverage in my town: Zero (0) WiFi sites.
Eh... also lame is that we have zero FiOS in my town, even though all the surrounding towns have it.
Bobcat79
Premium Member
join:2001-02-04

Bobcat79

Premium Member

Re: Ouch VZ

Hey, we have a brand-new Fios store, but no Fios service.

SSidlov
Other Things On My Mind
Premium Member
join:2000-03-03
Pompton Lakes, NJ

SSidlov

Premium Member

Re: Ouch VZ

said by Bobcat79:

Hey, we have a brand-new Fios store, but no Fios service.
Go in and demand to buy the service. The State should sue Verizon for reneging on the deal that wiped out local negotiations, anyway.
MaynardKrebs
We did it. We heaved Steve. Yipee.
Premium Member
join:2009-06-17

MaynardKrebs

Premium Member

Makes a lot of sense from the cable co's. point of view


While it isn't 'free'....at least it's a customer friendly gesture and will help prevent attrition to competing wireless 3G services in a major urban market.
watice
join:2008-11-01
New York, NY

watice

Member

twc

how would a twc customer go about getting a login for these wifi hotspots?

limegrass69
No Whammies
join:2008-05-28

limegrass69

Member

Re: twc

said by watice:

how would a twc customer go about getting a login for these wifi hotspots?
Just use the same user ID and password that you have for your TW Internet account (usually your email address and password). If you are a cable only subscriber (in other words, you don't subscribe to their high-speed Internet service), you don't get this feature.
vlad1000
join:2005-05-19
Brooklyn, NY

vlad1000

Member

this is actually interesting

these interconnected networks provide a seamless access...at least if you are a cablevision customer....you register your device with cablevision for instance and drive alone the coverage area (and quite surprisingly coverage is very good), and your internet does not disconnect/reconnect...it just works...in a moving car....so do we really need clear in new york anymore?
Bobcat79
Premium Member
join:2001-02-04

Bobcat79

Premium Member

Re: this is actually interesting

said by vlad1000:

quite surprisingly coverage is very good
Not in New Jersey.

SSidlov
Other Things On My Mind
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join:2000-03-03
Pompton Lakes, NJ

SSidlov

Premium Member

Re: this is actually interesting

just not in the your neighborhood, live closer to NY

AVD
Respice, Adspice, Prospice
Premium Member
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ

AVD

Premium Member

yonkers

I can detect a cablevision, a comcast and a timewarner hotspot at my Dad's house in Yonkers. I doubt that CC and TW have set up their own infrastructure there, so it appears that this was unofficial policy in the past.

limegrass69
No Whammies
join:2008-05-28

limegrass69

Member

Re: yonkers

said by AVD:

I can detect a cablevision, a comcast and a timewarner hotspot at my Dad's house in Yonkers. I doubt that CC and TW have set up their own infrastructure there, so it appears that this was unofficial policy in the past.
It's all the same hot spot...just serving three separate SSID's. You had to connect to the right SSID for your cable provider in order to authenticate. The article implies that all authentication has now been unified.

AVD
Respice, Adspice, Prospice
Premium Member
join:2003-02-06
Onion, NJ

AVD

Premium Member

Re: yonkers

said by limegrass69:
said by AVD:

I can detect a cablevision, a comcast and a timewarner hotspot at my Dad's house in Yonkers. I doubt that CC and TW have set up their own infrastructure there, so it appears that this was unofficial policy in the past.
It's all the same hot spot...just serving three separate SSID's. You had to connect to the right SSID for your cable provider in order to authenticate. The article implies that all authentication has now been unified.
agreed, but what's the real world difference?

limegrass69
No Whammies
join:2008-05-28

limegrass69

Member

Re: yonkers

There is no real world difference now.

Before this announcement, you had to make sure your device was associated with the proper SSID and properly authenticated with your ISP. Now you can move between any one of them without having to worry. More seamless. I've had instances where I was connected to CV's SSID, then it would drop to xfinity or TWC for some reason. I'd have to go back and manually reconnect. No longer an issue. It's also no longer an issue who owns the AP.
tmc8080
join:2004-04-24
Brooklyn, NY

1 edit

tmc8080

Member

S C R E W (*!*) C E L L P H O N E S

bring on the portable WIFI devices that can do VOIP as well as other apps!
kudos if they actually get together & create an APP that let's consumers use their digital-voice lines from the portable to make & receive phone calls! time to run rings around the telcos.

Tron4Net
join:2010-01-14
Corrales, NM

Tron4Net

Member

Re: S C R E W (*!*) C E L L P H O N E S

Oh Yeah!!!! Keep talking!! Now your cooking!!!! I'm all for that!!!

mking128
join:2005-08-10
Whitestone, NY

mking128

Member

Yeah, bring it on. Value-added products - good for consumers

We're 4 months away from ditching VZ, "promised" FIOS within 6-12 months three (3) years ago so settled for lowest tier 768/128 DSL on aging, ever-neglected copper wires since - got "boosted" to 1.0/384 services last year but got issues !! VZ Fios store - nearby - opened last year but still clueless about availability on our block. Thick cables pulled on primary streets & avenues at least 6 months ago & folks on the next 2 blocks and 6 to 8 blocks further to the north can order & actually got FIOS installed by the new "white" VZ van 2 or 3 months ago.

VZ's wifi and especially its software is a JOKE, and it's actually using Boingo & owned/acquired by AT&T wireless and I can simply use my Starbuck accounts to simplify access at the cafe & skip the VZ hotspot finder completely.

Now, with all 3 NYC cable providers joining together to spread wifi coverage and with VZW bringing on higher priced mandatory data fees for even non-smartphone devcies, we're ready to realize & pocket some serious savings on our VZW bills on the go - once we get to quadtriple our HSI speed at home. Why not, especially in this economic climate - where every dollar saved are counted (well, it certainly help to fill up that gas tank, price of regular is now back up to $3.15 a gallon for cash at local gasoline stations ....)
hottboiinnc4
ME
join:2003-10-15
Cleveland, OH

hottboiinnc4

Member

Re: Yeah, bring it on. Value-added products - good for consumers

Boingo is NOT ATT. WayPort is ATT.

Bill Neilson
Premium Member
join:2009-07-08
Alexandria, VA

Bill Neilson

Premium Member

There is bound to be some sort of catch

Oh, you used our Wi-Fi the last 6 months? Here is a bill for $99.95 for which you owe us

Dont think of it as a bill, think of it as us giving you a "better experience" with the $99.95

SSidlov
Other Things On My Mind
Premium Member
join:2000-03-03
Pompton Lakes, NJ

1 edit

SSidlov

Premium Member

Re: There is bound to be some sort of catch

no catch.

CV is one of the only providers that doesn't want to meter your downloads, doesn't cap (but does regulate traffic*) and hasn't raised the pricing except if you want more speed. They upgraded everyone from 10/2 to 15/2 for free a while back. They offer up to 100/15 service residential over their whole footprint for a year now, and 100/100 for business (and that one's fiber to the office).

* I can get 16mb on my bt.... I have 30/5 service.

DataRiker
Premium Member
join:2002-05-19
00000

DataRiker

Premium Member

Nice

Don't really see any negatives here. Thats amazing.

golden eagle
Aquila chrysaetos
Premium Member
join:2002-08-06
On a cliff

golden eagle

Premium Member

Re: Nice

One for me I'm a Time Warner customer but Earthlink is my ISP, that leaves me out in the cold
RolteC
The Need for Speed
join:2001-05-20
New York, NY

RolteC

Member

Been seeing this for a few weeks now...

This is great! Now I can log onto any one of those three between all the locations that I am at which is awesome!

OldschoolDSL
Premium Member
join:2006-02-23
Indian Orchard, MA

OldschoolDSL

Premium Member

Double sided sward

I'm wondering what the other side of the blade will bring? It's "unlike" two (never mind three) competing companies to freely join forces.

SSidlov
Other Things On My Mind
Premium Member
join:2000-03-03
Pompton Lakes, NJ

SSidlov

Premium Member

Re: Double sided sward

this is easy. It's a way for Cablevision to PAY for the service and gain a few more access sites for their existing customers. Even it's not continuous coverage, it looks good on paper (Free Hot Spots from NY to Conn!)

1. CV already Spent $300 mill for the upgrade to D3 and put in the WiFi as a potential extra feature.
2. It's of little value unless there are more sites in NYC where TWC is king and the Comcast places which pocket Cablevisions area. CV bid on wiring the LIRR.
3. Comcast has no access to lot's of areas around Manhattan and little in Manhattan, so providing any access is a plus to them
4. TWC is Manhattan but little outside Manhattan so it's a plus for them.
5. IF TWC and Comcast add additional spots (maybe they're using CV's staff/contractors to deploy and manage and do the D3 upgrade) it may be a big cost savings to them while making money for CV and reducing the costs since they would be bigger buyers of equipment.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

1 edit

fifty nine

Member

Service Electric?

So I wonder when SE Cable is going to partner up with Cablevision for this?

Maybe do a deal with PenTeleData to get access to their PA hotspots in exchange...

roc5955
Premium Member
join:2005-11-26
Rosendale, NY

roc5955

Premium Member

Does anyone know...

Where Comcast's hotspots are? I can't seem to find a website for them with google (who is usually a trusted friend in these matters). I have been able to find them for Time Warner and Cablevision.
There online chat is only for sales (who knew?!). I tried that, and after 10 min of chat, I finally found out! They want me to call, but I figure someone here must have the skinny on it.

fifty nine
join:2002-09-25
Sussex, NJ

fifty nine

Member

Re: Does anyone know...

They are the same as TW or Cablevision. It's just one access point per hotspot with three SSIDs.

SSidlov
Other Things On My Mind
Premium Member
join:2000-03-03
Pompton Lakes, NJ

SSidlov to roc5955

Premium Member

to roc5955
Comcast rolls out wifi under the Xfinity brand. I was at a meeting this evening, and looked at the hotspots from CV's poles, and it was CV, TWC and Xfinity. It used to be "comcast' but they've changed it.

»www.betanews.com/article ··· 65250092
sailor
Premium Member
join:2003-10-21
Long Island

sailor

Premium Member

WTG!!

Cable subscribers on Long Island and in New York City now have access to additional high-speed Internet networks beyond their own company's coverage area.

In a novel arrangement, Bethpage-based Cablevision Systems Corp., New York City-based Time Warner Cable and Philadelphia-based Comcast Corp., announced that, as of Thursday, customers of the other cable companies can use their Wi-Fi networks in the New York metro area for free.

John Bickham, Cablevision's president of cable and communications, said in a statement that allowing customers to "roam freely across networks is an extremely meaningful and transformative development."

Cablevision, which owns Newsday, has 3 million metropolitan area subscribers. Cablevision is in the middle of a $300-million project, launched in September 2008, to install Wi-Fi in its service areas.

Time Warner has 1.4 million customers in the metropolitan area, including in four New York City boroughs. The company last month announced Wi-Fi zones free for subscribers at several parks in Manhattan, Queens and on Long Island Rail Road train platforms (through a partnership with Cablevision).

Karl Bode, editor of New York-based Broadband Reports.com, said having Wi-Fi hot spots included with cable service was a good alternative to costly mobile broadband data plans.

Of the cable operators, he said, "They're figuring if they work as a team, that gives them a little more leverage against Verizon," which competes with cable operators in their territories by offering fiber-optic FiOS service.

In July, New York-based Verizon began offering certain broadband customers free access to thousands of Wi-Fi connections nationwide. John Bonomo, a spokesman for Verizon, said, "We offer free Wi-Fi as well at thousands of locations."

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

»www.newsday.com/business ··· .1864379

MovieLover76
join:2009-09-11
Cherry Hill, NJ
(Software) pfSense
Asus RT-AC68
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MovieLover76

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Re: WTG!!

This is great for me and my iPhone.
I'm a cablevision customer but I'm on the outer edge of cablevision territory, I spend most of my time at work and out in comcast territory, so cablevision's wifi is mostly useless to me, I also have access to AT&T wifi spots because I'm a AT&T customers

Free wifi with a service I already pay for is a great customer added bonus.
The cell phone companies shouldn't mind too much since they already have me locked into a 3G contract for my iPhone\
Might be a reason for them not to go to per byte billing.

Think about it AT&T I now spend 90% of my time within reach of some kind of WiFi, I'm sure I could get away with a pretty small data plan, better off to leave me stuck paying $30 than reduce revenue lol