MacDailyNews Take: NYC-area iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad users rejoice!
“The three companies said on Thursday that they had reached an agreement to allow their respective high-speed Internet customers to roam freely across each of their Wi-Fi networks with devices like laptop computers and Apple Inc’s iPad,” Adegoke reports. “Customers can access all three Wi-Fi services and sign on to their own provider’s network.”
Adegoke reports, “All three cable companies jointly cover most of the New York City metropolitan area, including parts of New Jersey.”
Full article here.
Should make up for AT&T;’s crappy service here.
Pfftttt. New York. You think u have it bad, my reception is so bad in my crappy little town the bars actually face down in the negative. I try to make a call and the phone literally dissapers into a void.
miami next please!
…and makes my spelling bad.
I’ve always felt that Wifi is a better urban solution than 3G or other cellular technologies.
Apple continues to destroy all the business models of old. All the mothers that care not about the hand that feeds them and will milk their customers to death.
Would be surprised to see them start offering subsidizing or a discount on the Wi-Fi iPads.
They don’t need Apple’s permission to do so.
@MDmac – No, but they do need Apples product. Not being able to keep up with demand for fully priced units, why would Apple participate in actions that will increase demand? Maybe next year.
@ flirtsquirt
Miami Beach has free WiFi, it’s been in place for a few months. After using it for a few days, I went back to my overpriced Atlantic Broad Band internet. It was just too inconsistent.
I recently cancelled all cable and internet to save money ($180 month) and suffer with the free WiFi. I purchased an Afla 2000W Long Range USB WiFi Antenna, and OMG what a difference. Faster and better than ABB and it’s all free!!!
@ lurker
Apple would not be participating in the action as such.
At any point, the cable company would simply purchase the iPads at list price and then give, discount, rent, etc., them as they do their modems to new or renewing customers.
The cable company doesn’t have to tell Apple what they are going to do with their iPad purchases. Obviously, they would like to get Apple to provide quantity discounting, but that doesn’t reflect on the objective of their program.
Apple may not need the increase demand per se, but the cable companies do.
It seems that someone has misunderstood the point here.
In order to use this wireless network, you have to be a home subscriber to cable internet. In other words, you need to have either TW RoadRunner service, or Comcast’s (or Cablevision’s) home internet connection. They haven’t mentioned RCN, but I’d think they’d also get in on the deal. This is exactly what Verizon has been providing for years (actually, a decade). If you are a home customer of Verizon.net (either ADSL or FiOS), you automatically have free access to all Verizon’s WiFi access points anywhere in the world (make that US…). To log in, you use your ADSL (or FiOS) user name and password.
I can’t possibly see why anyone would want to subsidise/give away an iPod to their customers for signing up for home internet service via cable network.
But is there coverage in the Holland tunnel?
@ Predrag
My cable company just gave me another 10% discount on my services, which for cable, internet and wireless is over $300 a month for our 3 member family.
I didn’t ask them for the discount. I just called to query the cost of upping my 10 MBS internet speed because the primary competitor was offering it at a special price to get me to move.
I would have gladly forgave the discount if they offered me an iPad or a nice discount on one instead.
I don’t know about you, but everytime I have called to check whether our non-iPhone plans that my wife a son have are up for renewal, I seem to get a discount. Usually it is the special offering of the day for new customers. And unless you ask, they are not about to call and tell you about it.
Certainly, the offerings in a city like New York are quite competitive. Actually more like they appear to be rather than reality. I would certainly think that an offering of an iPad in the mix would be quite enticing in attracting new or keeping current customers. Needless to say, it gets the cable companies that much closer to the mobile market if they are not already there.
I know one thing. Our annual golf event notice just came out and one of the prizes is an iPad. Apparently they got a 25% increase in interest over last year in virtually one day.
@MDMac,
If you’re paying $300/month for those three services you are probably getting ripped off. I live in MD suburbs and pay about $150 (incl. tax) for all three w/Comcast. I’m in the mid-range for added services, not every bell and whistle, but definitely not just basic.
Hasn’t been many years back that $300 was a car payment and not many more before that a house note.
Thank you, Predrag, for injecting a dose of reality. As the article makes clear, the cable operators are banding together to beat back competition from the telcos — that’s all this is about. It’s also part of the larger strategy of the cable operators to break free from the confines of wired services — e.g., Comcast’s “TV Everywhere” initiative.
@ Original Jake
Ripped of? No way.
3 dual PVRs, over 300 cable chanels, one iPhone, 2 other smartphones with data plans, 2 home/2 business lines, an international LD plan, ultra-highspeed internet, etc., etc., etc.
Oh. The 300 includes taxes.
What a deal! $150/mo for free Wifi. Sign me up.
With the cable conglomerates, nothing is ever free!
Times square is supposed to have free wifi from yahoo my iPhone didn’t get any signal tho union square park is supposed to have free wifi and it’s slow as hell as well mc donalds has free as well from AT&T;my iPad didn’t work their tho either no point if these companies don’t maintain them in good working condition
@MDmac
Wait…that is a combined monthly fee of $300 using different services, which is completely different than what we are talking about here. Also 300 a month is way too low…you’re missing a Benjamin in there.
This is just for the internet cost…if you get high speed internet in NYC then you can receive free WIFI across the city from all 3 main subscribers.
@Something doesn’t make sense
You are right. Its 328.
But with a communication company that provides all the three services, family plans and bundled packages in addition to being in the right place at the right time, there are savings galore.
Interested in what you define as ‘free’ wi-fi. What is the range? Is it blanket service? Is it like in Miami that it only covers up the 2nd floor. Or is it just ‘hot spots’?
As for offering an iPad as part of the incentive to acquire or keep a customer, it is no different than AT&T;that paid Apple the difference of the iPhone’s list price for each data plan they sold. Just that everybody didn’t take into account that they incrementally paid off the hardware over two years. Just like every other wireless company that provides so-called ‘free’ or subsidized cell phones.
Just one other thing. There is no ‘free’ wi-fi. We pay for hit in the coffee we drink, the taxes we pay, the schools we attend, heck the planes we fly in.