In the two years since five of the top six cable operators announced their CableWiFi Alliance, the Wi-Fi hot spots now total more than 250,000 access points across the nation.
Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications, Cablevision, and Bright House Networks first announced the roaming agreement two years ago at The Cable Show in Boston. At that time, the alliance had 50,000 hotspots under its belt, and during last year’s show the number had reached 150,000. The NCTA tracks and releases the number of Wi-Fi hotspots available to members of the alliance.
Subscribers to those cable operators can log in to Wi-Fi service when they are out of their own provider’s footprint by looking for the CableWiFi network SSID. Once they authenticate themselves, using the same information they use on their own cable provider’s network, their devices will auto-connect to a CableWiFi hotspot whenever they are in range.
“In today’s hyper-connected world, Wi-Fi hotspots have become one of the most important and fastest growing technologies of the Internet era,” said Michael Powell, National Cable & Telecommunications Association (NCTA) president & CEO. “With 250,000 Wi-Fi hotspots now available to millions of cable broadband customers at no additional charge, the value and reach of cable’s robust Internet service increases significantly. The cable industry is committed to providing American consumers with the best Internet experience and the growth of the CableWiFi Alliance is delivering on that promise.”
Access areas include: New York City, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Washington, D.C., San Francisco, Orlando, Tampa, Kansas City, Austin, Charlotte and more. Customers can check their providers’ website for a nationwide coverage map.
The CableWiFi network offers indoor and outdoor hotspots located in high-traffic areas such as shopping districts, cafés, malls, sports and concert arenas, restaurants, parks and beaches. Customers are able to find the nearest hotspot either by visiting their service provider’s Wi-Fi homepage or by downloading their provider’s Wi-Fi Finder app to their mobile device.
