Five of the USA's largest cable TV networks have joined forces to combine their Wi-Fi networks into a single network with over 50,000 hotspots across their markets.
The Wi-Fi networks will remain owned by the separate companies, Bright House Networks, Cablevision, Comcast, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable but will be jointly branded as "CableWiFi".
The first implementation is already complete as Bright House Networks and Cablevision launched "CableWiFi" alongside their branded WiFi networks in the New York City area and central Florida earlier this month. Over the next few months, the "CableWiFi" network name will be added by each of the cable companies to their branded WiFi hotspots.
"This effort adds great value to our high speed Internet customers by providing free wireless Internet access on all of their WiFi enabled devices in our markets and additional areas across the country," said Nomi Bergman, President of Bright House Networks.
When traveling outside their home markets, subscribers of the participating companies will look for the "CableWiFi" network and through a simple sign-on process connect using the same credentials as when accessing their providers' Wi-Fi networks. In the coming months, users will be able to have their devices auto-connect to the Internet when located in any of the "Cable WiFi" hotspots.
The participating cable operators currently offer more than 50,000 WiFi hotspots located in New York City and the surrounding Tri-State area, Los Angeles, Tampa, Orlando, and Philadelphia. The operators also plan to continue to grow the number of WiFi hotspots and expand into several additional cities.
This is the largest and most inclusive WiFi sharing effort among cable operators to date. In early 2010, Cablevision, Comcast and Time Warner Cable entered into an agreement allowing their customers in New York City, Long Island, New Jersey, Philadelphia and Connecticut to access WiFi hotspots offered by each operator in these areas.