Cablevision prepares ads mocking 3G and promoting Wi-Fi

Cablevision Systems is building out probably the richest WiFi network in the nation and it wants the public to know. The Long Island, N.Y.-based MSO will roll out a pair of advertisements in which it shows the viability of WiFi while mocking the availability of bandwidth for 3G which, especially when offered by AT&T for smartphones like the Apple iPhone, has been sadly lacking in the service area.

Cablevision, as has been well documented, is blanketing the New York metro area with a WiFi cloud. It's partnering with Time Warner Cable and Comcast to extend that cloud outside its service area and it's seeking the OK to add WiFi to commuter trains. All totaled, Cablevision and approved partner subscribers can find WiFi at tens of thousands of WiFi hotspots that the company has detailed on a coverage area map.

Even better for Cablevision than its WiFi dominance is the fact that many subscribers are using mobile phones to access the network because they get better service from WiFi than 3G. AT&T has had well publicized problems supporting iPhone and other smartphone users in the area with 3G service.

And Cablevision is probably not finished. The company has said it would test a mobile telephony device that would handle both WiFi and cellular although details about that have been sketchy, at best.

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