Updated: Time Warner Cable this morning confirmed that it’s launching Wi-Fi hotspots for customers of its NYC RoadRunner broadband service. According to the company:
Through a partnership with Cablevision, Time Warner Cable customers will also have access to thousands of free Optimum WiFi locations throughout Cablevision’s service area. Time Warner Cable Wi-Fi is now available at several Wi-Fi zones in Manhattan and Queens, including several parks and some Long Island Railroad platforms and their respective parking lots in the company’s service area.
High-Speed Internet customers of both Time Warner Cable and Cablevision will be able to access free, unlimited Wi-Fi services in each other’s New York City metro service areas, allowing for a fast Internet connection at designated Wi-Fi zones. Time Warner Cable Road Runner customers will have access to Cablevision’s Optimum WiFi network, and Cablevision’s Optimum Online customers will have access to Time Warner Cable Wi-Fi zones when they travel out of their service area.
Time Warner Cable Wi-Fi zones include:
- Eight commuter rail platforms on the Long Island Railroad Port Washington line: Woodside, Flushing Main Street, Murray Hill, Broadway, Auburndale, Bayside, Douglaston, Little Neck;
- Manhattan: Bryant Park, Madison Square Park and 79th Street Boat Basin;
- Four parks in Queens: Bowne Park and Kissena Park in Flushing, Baisley Pond Park and Railroad Park in Jamaica.
Time Warner Cable (s TWC), a large cable service provider based in New York City, is likely to launch a Wi-Fi initiative as soon as tomorrow, according to those familiar with company’s plans. Time Warner Cable is likely to launch Wi-Fi hotspots in New York’s oft-used areas such as train stations, bus terminals and other popular public spaces. The Wi-Fi access mostly likely will be a free service for Time Warner Cable’s ISP customers.
The Wi-Fi zones were first launched by Cablevision, the Long Island-based cable company, almost two years ago and have seen more usage of this free service. Many are using Wi-Fi to connect their iPhones. Time Warner Cable can use Wi-Fi to blunt the relentless attacks from Verizon’s FiOS offering on its broadband offering.
Thumbnail image courtesy of Flickr user suttonhoo
Cablevision built a good network, ahead of time and under budget. They have excess capacity, why not sell it? Good thinking on their part. They are now collecting roaming charges.
Cablevision is in much of Brooklyn, The Bronx, and of course Long Island, North East New Jersey, Westchester and Connecticut. It’s a nice Wi-Fi footprint for Time-Warner, But what of Time Warner customers in Staten Island and Manhattan? With Time Warner Wi-Fi citywide, it’s just a phase one.
Time-Warner, in fact, will be building a lot of Wi-Fi. ABI Research and the Wi-Fi Alliance both projected that 500 million Wi-Fi enabled Smart Phones will ship in 2014. One out of fourteen people on earth will be getting a new Wi-Fi capable handset in 2014. That doesn’t include laptops, netbooks, tablets, game consoles. Time Warner has infrastructure in abundance. We are going to need it to support all those Wi-Fi Hot Spots.