Cablevision’s Optimum Wi-Fi service, free for subscribers, has been extremely popular in the New York, New Jersey, and Connecticut tri-state area, giving customers access to fast Wi-Fi from tens of thousands of locations. Today, Cablevision is announcing that the company has bumped up speeds at all Wi-Fi locations to 15Mbps down and 4Mbps up — the same speeds home subscribers get with entry-level Optimum Online service. Over 500,000 people use Optimum’s free Wi-Fi service, and this move makes Optimum’s Wi-Fi faster than any 3G or 4G network, barring Verizon Wireless’ 4G LTE network, which we’ve seen trump those numbers from time to time. Additionally, Cablevision previously partnered with Time Warner and Comcast to allow customers of all three providers to roam onto all three provider’s Wi-Fi networks, so this change affects Time Warner and Comcast subscribers as well which is great. The full press release is after the break, and the new download and upload speeds are already available across the tri-state area.

CABLEVISION HITS THE GAS PEDAL ON OPTIMUM WIFI – NOW DELIVERING UP TO 15 MBPS DOWNSTREAM AND 4 MBPS UPSTREAM OVER NATION’S LARGEST AND MOST ADVANCED WIFI NETWORK

Downstream Speed Of Optimum WiFi Now Matches Company’s Flagship Residential Service, And Far Exceeds 3G and 4G Cellular Networks

BETHPAGE, NY, June 14, 2011 – Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) today announced that it had significantly increased the speed of its Optimum WiFi network, which spans tens of thousands of outdoor access points and thousands of indoor locations across the New York metropolitan area. Optimum WiFi, available to the company’s Optimum Online high-speed Internet customers at no additional charge, now delivers up to 15 megabits-per-second (Mbps) downstream and up to 4 Mbps upstream, matching the downstream speed of its flagship wired high-speed Internet service, and far exceeding the network’s previous speeds of up to 3 Mbps downstream and 1.5 Mbps upstream. Optimum WiFi is dramatically faster than cellular data over 3G and 4G networks, and more than three times as fast as the nation’s average residential wired broadband service.

“This is a huge enhancement for our customers and a significant step forward for mobile online access. With this increase, Optimum WiFi not only blows away 3G and 4G cellular data speeds, it’s three times faster than the average wired residential broadband service across the country,” said Kevin Curran, Cablevision’s senior vice president of wireless product management. “With awareness and usage continuing to increase, we think this is the perfect time to hit the gas pedal on Optimum WiFi and deliver unbeatable speed on the nation’s largest and most advanced WiFi network, by geographic coverage.”

“This new higher speed Optimum WiFi is like 4G on steroids,” commented Berge Ayvazian, Senior Analyst at Heavy Reading. “It offers a better mobile Internet experience to consumers

and mobile professionals virtually anywhere in Cablevision’s market who have become increasingly dependent on and enabled by wireless broadband to access their media content, multi-player gaming and business applications in the cloud.”

More than 500,000 Optimum Online high-speed Internet customers have already accessed the Internet when away from their home or small business connections over Optimum WiFi. The Optimum WiFi network spans tens of thousands of access points focused on high-traffic outdoor locations like downtown areas, commuter rail platforms and parking lots and parks. Additionally, in partnership with Optimum Business, Cablevision has activated WiFi access points inside more than 7,000 businesses that subscribe to the company’s high-speed Internet and phone services as a free value-added enhancement benefiting both the businesses and their customers.

Top outdoor usage areas for Optimum WiFi continue to be downtown areas and commuter rail station parking lots and train platforms. Cablevision has submitted formal proposals to both the MTA and NJ Transit, in response to Requests for Proposals, to extend Optimum WiFi access to commuter trains across the New York Metropolitan Area as well. Top indoor locations wired in partnership with Optimum Business are restaurants and health clubs. Cablevision has also expanded the reach of its own WiFi network by interconnecting with WiFi deployments by other cable providers Comcast and Time Warner Cable, so customers of all three companies can roam freely across these three distinct WiFi networks and enjoy a superior mobile data experience.

More information on Optimum WiFi, including detailed coverage maps, is available at http://www.optimumwifi.com.

In a response to a Request for Proposal from the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA), Cablevision announced today that it has submitted a bid to bring its Optimum Wi-Fi to Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North trains on Long Island as well as in Westchester and Southern Connecticut. Access to the network will be free for Optimum Online customers, while everyone else will be able to make use of the service for “reasonable rates.” Cablevision currently has Optimum Wi-Fi hotspots in some 200 MTA stations, and says it is committed to having the hotspots up and running within 12 months and will build and maintain them on its own dime. Anyone hoping this proposal is accepted, especially in light of today’s unlimited-data-plan-killing announcement from AT&T? Let us know after hitting the jump to check out the press release. You know, if you’re into that sort of thing.

CABLEVISION SUBMITS PROPOSAL TO MTA TO PROVIDE OPTIMUM WIFI ON LONG ISLAND RAIL ROAD AND METRO NORTH TRAINS

Company Would Extend The Nation’s Largest And Most Advanced WiFi Network To Entire MTA Rail System Within 12 Months Of Selection

BETHPAGE, NY, June 2, 2010 – Cablevision Systems Corp. (NYSE: CVC) today submitted a proposal to the Metropolitan Transportation Authority (MTA) to extend the Optimum WiFi network onto Long Island Rail Road and Metro-North trains within 12 months of selection at no cost to the MTA, providing wireless Internet access to travelers while in transit, in addition to the access that is already available on the train platforms and in parking lots at nearly 200 MTA commuter rail stations. The submission was in response to a formal Request For Proposals issued by the MTA. Optimum WiFi is already the nation’s largest and most advanced WiFi network, based on geographic coverage, providing fast and reliable wireless Internet access across Cablevision’s service area through tens of thousands of access points focused on high- traffic and commercial locations, downtown areas, parks and large indoor facilities including Madison Square Garden, Radio City Music Hall, Long Island MacArthur Airport and regional shopping centers like the Bergen Town Center.

“Access to the Internet on MTA trains will transform the riding experience, and we believe Cablevision is uniquely positioned to deliver this enhancement through the extension of Optimum WiFi – already the nation’s largest and most advanced WiFi network – onto the rails,” said John Bickham, Cablevision’s president of cable and communications. “As a New York-based company already providing popular WiFi access at nearly 200 MTA commuter rail stations we propose to deploy wireless Internet access across the entire MTA system within 12 months of selection, at no cost to the Transportation Authority or taxpayers.”

Under Cablevision’s proposal, submitted to the MTA today, the company would provide unlimited free access to its Optimum Online high-speed Internet customers and would provide a reasonable access option for non-customers. Cablevision would assume all costs associated with extending its Optimum WiFi network onto the trains and would also create a separate, private and secure, WiFi network exclusively for MTA use.

Cablevision customers today are accessing the Internet over Optimum WiFi more than 3 million times a month, at speeds of up to 3 megabits-per-second downstream and 1.5 Mbps upstream – significantly faster than 3G cellular networks that are increasingly overburdened by the exploding demands for data services by consumers using mobile Internet-enabled devices like the iPhone, iPad, BlackBerry and notebook computers.

One of the key advantages of the Cablevision proposal to the MTA is that it provides for trackside WiFi backhaul – connected to Cablevision’s fiber optic wired network – as opposed to cellular transmission, ensuring network availability and sufficient bandwidth for riders. Trackside WiFi backhaul can support more than triple the number of simultaneous users and data capacity than a cellular-only option, promoting customer satisfaction by delivering a positive experience.

The news just keeps on coming today for Windows Mobile enthusiasts. This morning, Microsoft announced that “Windows Phones” — aka handsets powered by Microsoft’s Windows Mobile 6.5 OS — would begin to reach market on October 6th. Now, AT&T has jumped in to reveal plans to add Windows Mobile-powered handsets to its free Wi-Fi pool. That’s right folks, starting Friday September 14th, AT&T’s WinMo smartphones will gain free access to each and every AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot. BlackBerrys and iPhones have enjoyed free AT&T Wi-Fi for quite a while now, so it’s nice to finally see Windows Mobile join the fun. There are two requirements of course, the first being an unlimited data plan or other qualifying data option. Secondly, your WinMo handset must, in fact, have Wi-Fi capabilities in order for you to enjoy free Wi-Fi. Right on.

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Amongst the many processes that the Windows OS has a knack for making particularly annoying is the process of managing connections. Every time you arrive at a new location, be it a hotel, cafe, airport, conference room, public hotspot or otherwise, you need to search for available connections, maybe tweak some settings, add the connection to your approved list and so on. There are a few companies that currently offer solutions to simplify this process, but how many do you know of that offer said solution for free? Avanquest announced this morning that it’s Connection Manager software, typically carrying a $30 price of entry, is now available absolutely free of charge from its website. In a nutshell, Connection Manager does everything for you. It will find available connections (WiFi with WEP, WPA1 and WPA2 support, LAN,  ADSL and even WiMAX), connect and configure your security, printer, VPN and other applicable settings on the fly. It will then store the new connection profile for a near-instant reconnect if and when you return to the location. Avanquest offers a bunch of personal productivity, multimedia, business and educational applications that are worth checking out. In the meantime hit the read link to snag the Connection Manager software and make your travels far more tolerable by giving yourself one less thing to worry about.

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It’s here, it’s gone, it’s here, it’s gone, it’s here. It took a fair number of misfires and tweaks but AT&T and Starbucks have finally launched the free WiFi service we’ve been waiting for, well, for a long time. The catch? There are actually several. Truth be told, this free WiFi deal isn’t free at all. The two biggies:

• Only available to paying customers: In order to access free WiFi, you’ll need to purchase and use a Starbucks card. Also, free WiFi access is only available to those who have used their Starbucks cards in the past 30 days.
• Only available in 2-hour clips: Customers can only use WiFi for two consecutive hours each day. Want more? Get a paid AT&T plan.

So in its final released version, complimentary AT&T WiFi access is not being billed as “free”. Starbucks is calling it “a way to thank our loyal customers”. AT&T Laptop Connect customers with an applicable plan still have their own deal for free WiFi and we should be seeing something similar launch for smartphones this year as well. In the meantime you’ll need to keep sucking down that liquid crack to play without paying.

[Via Gear Diary]

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Here we go again! AT&T will be doing the free WiFi dance that we’ve all become familiar with, but this time it has nothing to do with iPhones. Starting tomorrow, Tuesday May 20th, all Laptop Connect customers will be able to enjoy free WiFi at each and every AT&T hotspot. AT&T’s internal correspondence on the matter:

Effective tomorrow, May 20th, the long-awaited FREE WiFi Access to over 17,000 WiFi locations throughout the U.S. launches for Laptop Connect Customers with plans $60 or higher. This exciting new feature will allow customers unlimited access to over 17,000 WiFi locations at no extra charge including locations in Starbucks and McDonalds. Customers will need three things for this free access:

• A laptop card. FREE WiFi for Smartphones is not available yet, but will be later in 2008.
• The latest version of Communication Manager (version 6.8). Once loaded this version will automatically log onto AT&T hotspots.
• A Laptop Connect plan of $60 or greater.

Note that first bullet: “FREE WiFi for Smartphones is not available yet, but will be later in 2008.” Does that mean all smartphone users will soon be able to enjoy free WiFi? All of the sudden our drawers full of unlocked smartphones aren’t looking so hot! In the meantime, AT&T Laptop Connect customers, enjoy. Let’s all hope it sticks this time…

[Thanks, Anonymous Tipster]