United States-based Cablevision is venturing to a different ship as the cable giant is said to launch a new service called Freewheel. Cablevision Systems Corp., eighth largest cable provider in the U.S., executives said on Sunday that they will start selling a Wi-Fi only service specifically made for smartphone users though Motorola will have its first global coverage, Newsday reported.
Freewheel, dubbed as the WiFi only service, will let consumers to use it much like what postpaid and prepaid plan subscribers do with their service- send text messages, make a phone call and surf the web - though, only difference is Freewheel users must be connected to a Wi-Fi network.
Freewheel, set to be launched on February, will not work with cellular networks though, according to CNET, the new service will work with over 1 million Cablevision owned Optimum Wi-fi hotspots.
This kind of service is not new in the market; however, Cablevision's move will be the first cable giant to fully do and try something different, away from what the usual cable providers do. It is said that Cablevision's move, which aims to target low-income customers, will help them increase their revenue, will help them retain their subscribers and eventually, steal subscribers from other providers.
Since Wi-Fi technology is getting more and more in demand and popular, Freewheel will definitely a service worthy to try, especially for travelers who are not into expensive roaming charges though there's 1 pitfall that consumer needs to consider - if the consumer loses connection, his/her smartphone will only act as an MP3 player.
Freewheel will initially be launched in a city wherein it utilizes a more established Wi-Fi base, New York City. Existing subscribers can avail it at $9.95 per month and new customers can avail it at $29.95 per month.