Cablevision rolls out Wi-Fi network on the East Coast
Cablevision is spending over $300 million to deploy a wireless broadband network over the next two years to provide Wi-Fi service to its customers on the East Coast. The network will cost $100 per subscriber.
Cablevision has been delivering broadband service to the Bronx, Long Island, Westchester county (NY), New Jersey and Connecticut and it plans to extend Wi-Fi coverage to cover outdoor areas, according to this article. It’s not clear how large of an outdoor area they plan to cover. Will they build it to cover entire communities where they have customers? Or only in some neighborhoods? The article says the company’s move is triggered by the proliferation of portable Wi-Fi devices like the iPhone and the iPod Touch. They will be using Wi-Fi mesh equipment from Cisco and BelAir Networks.
UPDATE: Network World says the Cablevision citywide wireless network will be in NYC.
In the past, service providers have had difficulty in setting up municipal Wi-Fi networks because of lack of mounting assets and expensive backhaul; they have also underestimated the cost of acquiring subscribers. Cablevision already has a lot of backhaul and they plan to serve existing subscribers may want connectivity inside and outside the home/office
Cable gets into wireless
I have always wondered why cable companies have not gotten into the wireless space since they have so much backhaul and a lot of existing customers. They could create giant wireless networks that cover entire communities and give people inexpensive VOIP phones, sell them landline and wireless VOIP as part of a package that includes cable TV and broadband service. Now it appears the cable companies are getting into wireless. Indeed, with the new Clearwire venture that includes Google and Intel, the participating cable companies - Comcast and Time Warner Cable - can go into cities where they do not have a franchise and deliver broadband and IPTV service.
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One company moving forward to spend $300M while another is running away from its own 8-figure investment in the same type of network as hastily as possible.
All happening, 94 miles apart from each other & in the same space in time.
This “industry” continues to amaze.
Done right, targeting the right areas and adding services to their existing clients makes sense to me. Plus, they have the cable plant for backhaul which is a significant expense of any network.