BGOL Wireless: Freewheel - Cablevision's Wi-Fi-only phone service

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Freewheel, Cablevision's Wi-Fi-only phone service, goes on sale
The company tries taking on wireless carriers with what it claims is the first all Wi-Fi phone service from a cable provider.

Cablevision has officially stepped into the mobile business, saying Thursday that its new Wi-Fi-only phone service, Freewheel, is now on sale.



The New York-based cable TV company first revealed the new service late last month, presenting it as a potential alternative to wireless carriers such as Verizon or AT&T. Customers can now order the service online at Freewheel.com for a monthly fee of $30 -- though Cablevision's Optimum Internet customers can get it for $10 a month.

Cablevision claims Freewheel is the country's first all Wi-Fi service from a cable provider. Though it may offer lower costs for some wireless customers, the service has some obvious limitations. For example, customers ordering the service can currently choose only one phone, the Motolora Moto G, for $100. Also, while Freewheel will work anywhere a Wi-Fi signal is available, there's no backup cellular network to jump on in other cases, so the phone won't operate without a Wi-Fi connection.

Since Cablevision has no cell towers at its disposal, the company cannot provide the same level of service one would find on a 4G LTE network from wireless carriers.

Still, the service offers a unique approach to owning a smartphone and provides unlimited talk, text and data as part of the monthly cost (international calls are extra, though). As more people keep using more data and Wi-Fi signals propagate, Freewheel could prove to gain in popularity, though it has a long way to go against the major wireless carriers.

The service is available for sale nationally, but new users in the New York tristate area will have the extra benefit of automatic access to 1.1 million Optimum Wi-Fi hotspots Cablevision already offers its customers.

Freewheel isn't likely to replace people's existing smartphone service, said Amy Young, analyst for Macquarie Research, but it could find success as an inexpensive household phone for teenagers and other users.

She added that Freewheel probably won't be a big moneymaker for Cablevision, though the additional service to its cable, home phone and Internet offerings could help it prevent more people from canceling their cable.

"If they're successful, it could encourage their peers to follow," Young said.

http://www.cnet.com/news/freewheel-cablevisions-wi-fi-only-phone-service-goes-on-sale/
https://freewheel.com/?aitrk=fifs&s...=go&geng=branded&aeng=1&keng=freewheel&meng=b

 

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Cablevision Gets Rolling With ‘Freewheel’
MSO Opens Up Sales For New WiFi-Only Phone Service - See more at: http://www.multichannel.com/news/te...rolling-freewheel/387694#sthash.vRYLJ30M.dpuf

Cablevision Systems has opened up the sales spigot for Freewheel, a WiFi-only voice, data and text service that is initially offered on the Android-powered Moto G smartphone.

As Cablevision announced on January 26, the service runs $9.95 per month for consumers who take the MSO’s high-speed Internet service, and $29.95 per month for everyone else. Cablevision is offering the Moto G for the discounted price of $99.95.

Cablevision touted Freewheel at a launch party Wednesday night at the Gramercy Park Hotel in New York City.

The service, touted as a cap-free, low-cost alternative to cellular offerings, runs on any WiFi connection, including the 1.1 million hotspots deployed by Cablevision in business and outdoor venues and in customer WiFi routers. Cablevision noted that more than 7 billion megabytes (7,000 terabytes) of data pass through its WiFi network each month, and that Optimum WiFi customers have used the network nearly 1 billion times in the fourth quarter of 2014.

“Cellular was built for voice and WiFi was built for data, which is why WiFi is the preferred choice for data usage today,” said Kristin Dolan, chief operating officer of Cablevision, said in a statement. “Freewheel integrates a high quality device backed by the strength of our professionally maintained carrier-grade WiFi network. As the thirst for data continues to grow. Freewheel provides consumers with a better, faster data experience, all at a fraction of the cost of cellular.”

Cablevision said Freewheel will introduce more features in the coming weeks. An addition to providing competition to traditional mobile carriers, Freewheel will also tangle with providers such as Republic Wireless, which offers a mix of WiFi and WiFi+cellular services, including a WiFi-only offering that fetches $5 per month.

Cablevision’s service enters play as cable operators continue to expand their WiFi networks and seek out new ways to drive value from them. According to Cisco Systems, Voice-over-WiFi traffic is poised to exceed Voice-over-LTE traffic by 2017. -

http://www.multichannel.com/news/technology/cablevision-gets-rolling-freewheel/387694

 

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Attention, Generation WiFi
Freewheel, the New WiFi-Exclusive Phone Service from Cablevision, Now Available for Sale at Freewheel.com

BETHPAGE, N.Y.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC) today announced that Freewheel, its new low-cost WiFi-exclusive phone service providing unlimited data, talk and text is now available for sale nationwide at Freewheel.com. The service, available on the Motorola Moto G smartphone, works anywhere in the world where WiFi is accessible, and will operate only when the device is connected to a WiFi signal. Freewheel provides the next generation of connectivity, allowing customers to tap into the wealth of WiFi that surrounds them and continues to grow every day. Freewheel offers a better, faster data experience than slower and overpriced cellular service.

“The Best Smartphones You Can Buy Right Now”

“Cellular was built for voice and WiFi was built for data, which is why WiFi is the preferred choice for data usage today,” said Kristin Dolan, chief operating officer of Cablevision. “Freewheel integrates a high quality device backed by the strength of our professionally maintained carrier-grade WiFi network. As the thirst for data continues to grow, Freewheel provides consumers with a better, faster data experience, all at a fraction of the cost of cellular.”

As the first all-WiFi service to be introduced by a cable provider, Freewheel offers market-leading services and features including:

Connectivity anywhere in the world where you are connected to WiFi as well as automatic access to 1.1 million Optimum WiFi hotspots across the New York tri-state area, which include indoor and outdoor locations and an expanding network of residential hotspots
A low monthly price of $29.95 or $9.95 for Cablevision’s Optimum Online customers, which is up to 80 percent less expensive than leading cellular offerings1
Availability on the Motorola Moto G, a popular Android device that was recently rated the “best low-cost smartphone” by The Wall Street Journal.2 The device is for sale at a heavily discounted price of $99.95
Attractive international calling plans, a 30-day refund policy and no annual contract
Truly unlimited data, talk and text, unlike many so-called “unlimited” cellular plans. Freewheel is always “all you can eat,” with no overage charges, ever.
Freewheel will introduce additional features in the coming weeks and months that will underscore WiFi’s superiority over the legacy cellular model.

Freewheel is a great option for people who:

Spend their day in WiFi-rich environments, including colleges, offices and homes
Overspend on data or constantly worry about staying within their expensive and restrictive cellular data limits
Live in densely populated areas or other locales that suffer from poor cellular reception
Are budget conscious or on a fixed income
Are looking for the best first device for their children
Do not want to sign multi-year contracts.
Cablevision is a leader in the development and delivery of WiFi for consumers. The company began building and investing significantly in its Optimum WiFi network in 2007, just as the first smartphones were being introduced to the market. Since then, Optimum WiFi has become enormously popular and is highly utilized:

Optimum WiFi Usage

More than 7 billion megabytes (7,000 terabytes) of data pass through the Optimum WiFi network each month. (In comparison, the Library of Congress contains 525 terabytes of data)
Optimum WiFi customers used the network nearly 1 billion times in Q4 2014
Optimum WiFi customers pass an average of more than 5GB of data per month
Customers consumed over 19 billion megabytes of data in Q4 2014.
Cablevision continues its robust marketing efforts in the tri-state area, which is also the company’s home operating territory. For more information about Freewheel or to purchase Freewheel service, visit Freewheel.com.

About Cablevision

Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC) is a leading media and telecommunications company, serving millions of households and businesses throughout the greater New York area. Providing quality products that keep customers connected, Cablevision offers Optimum-branded digital cable television, high-speed Internet and voice services as well as Optimum WiFi, the nation's most robust WiFi network. Cablevision’s Lightpath subsidiary is a premier provider of integrated business communications solutions for larger companies. Through its local media and programming properties – News 12 Networks and Newsday Media Group – Cablevision also delivers news and information created specifically for the communities it serves. Additional information about Cablevision is available at www.cablevision.com.

http://www.businesswire.com/news/ho...eel-WiFi-Exclusive-Phone-Service#.VNPxCtLF_6U

 

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http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...-cheap-for-some-but-limited-for-all/index.htm


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Cablevision's Freewheel Wi-Fi-only phone service is cheap but very limited

Ting, Republic, and others offer similar pricing and better coverage



Cell-service prices from the major mobile companies are falling, and new providers are popping up to compete for customers. Freewheel, a new low-cost mobile phone service from cable giant Cablevision sounds like it could be one of the best deals available. The no-contract plan includes unlimited texts, voice minutes, and data for just $10 a month for existing Cablevision customers and $30 for noncustomers. Besides lower prices, Cablevision subscribers get free access to the Wi-Fi hotspots of Cablevision’s partners, which include Bright House Networks, Cox, Time Warner Cable, and Xfinity. But don't rush to sign up just yet.

Here's the problem: Freewheel depends entirely on Wi-Fi access for its connections, meaning no Wi-Fi, no service (except for 911 emergency calls, which are mandated by the FCC). This isn't the first Wi-Fi-based mobile service on the market. Republic Wireless got there first—but Republic offers a cellular option for when you're on the road. Freewheel doesn't offer that. And that pretty much rules out using the phone while traveling by car. In fact, maintaining a voice conversation can be tricky business even if you decide to take a stroll.

Further, Freewheel currently works with only one phone: the Motorola Moto G, a mid-tier Android smart phone that’s been modified to run on Wi-Fi networks, and in particular Cablevision’s Optimum Wi-Fi network. Cablevision sells this phone for only $100 without a contract. (If you’re thinking this could be a cheap way to get Moto G to use on another carrier, forget it. Cablevision neutered the phone’s cellular network connections, probably for that reason.)

So who is Freewheel for? Cablevision says its target customers are people who spend a lot of time in Wi-Fi-rich environments, including colleges, offices, and homes. That makes sense—but there are already a panoply of apps that bring such capabilities to laptops, tablets, and other devices for little or no money. And then there's Republic, which scored high in our annual cell-service survey, offers equally low prices for the same service ($10), has a wider selection of phones, and lets you add conventional cellular service when Wi-Fi isn’t available for just a few bucks more.

To be fair, if you’re already a Cablevision customer with a kid in college, or frequently find yourself in Wi-Fi rich environments, you might want to give Freewheel a spin. If so, here are more details, based on our hands-on testing.



You'll like the phone, more or less

When I was in my office or on my favorite couch at home, I found using Freewheel on a Moto G smart phone to be quite pleasant. The phone is a palm-friendly 5 inches x 2.6 inches x 0.5 inches and its rubberlike back gave me a firm, comfortable grip. The Moto G has a respectable 4.5-inch display with 720P resolution. And battery life, which we didn’t test in our labs, appeared to be adequate for a full day of use. The phone runs Android 4.4, and gives you full access to Android apps and their benefits (you can even download Skype). There's not much to say about the phone’s interface except that in addition to a handful of apps for Cablevision and Newsday content, one element on the home-screen widget bar tells you when Wi-Fi signals are good, when weak signals may compromise voice quality, and when it’s time to keep moving because you have no service.
Walk if you must, but don’t run

Making phone calls over Wi-Fi, a technology that's been around since the mid-2000s, poses a challenge because calls get dropped when you move out of range, or sometimes when you go from one hot spot to another. Freewheel users can avoid such interruptions if they roam within Cablevision’s mesh of 1.1 million public Optimum Wi-Fi access points, largely concentrated in the New York metropolitan area. Indeed, our testers were able to stay on the line as they meandered down streets riddled with Optimum Wi-Fi access points in Yonkers, New York.

However, we found calls dropped when our testers ventured outside of the Optimum Wi-Fi “mesh” or between non-Optimum Wi-Fi access points—even when the Wi-Fi signals were strong and overlapping. However, text and voice messages sent during those service gaps were quickly retrieved once Wi-Fi connections were reestablished.
Surprise! Your house is the hot spot

To minimize Freewheel dead zones, Cablevision is adding “hundreds of Optimun WiFi access points a day.” Here's how. New customers now receive special modem/wireless routers at no charge. These routers simultaneously supply the subscriber's home network and a public-access Optimum Wi-Fi hotspot. These so-called Smart Routers have two service set identification (SSID) addresses, one for the subscriber’s home network and the other for the public.

This raises questions—are passers-by going to tap into your home network? Will they be hogging your bandwidth? Not to worry, says Cablevision. Although these two SSIDs occupy the same device and are fed by the same line, their data streams are separate, and they have their own bandwidth allocations and access rules. All this should ensure that home users remain safe from hackers and continue to get the network speeds they are paying for—no matter how many outsiders tap into the router’s Optimum Wi-Fi network.

If you have such a router, you can’t turn off the public Wi-Fi access point feature or opt out of the service. But you can, for now, request a stand-alone modem to which you can attach your own Wi-Fi router.
You might find better low-cost options

Other mobile providers, such as Ting, Republic Wireless, and Consumer Cellular combine unlimited service over Wi-Fi with cellular service when you want it, and prices are just $10 to $20 a month. Given that, Freewheel makes little sense for non-Cablevision subscribers, who are being charged a $30 monthly fee.

Bottom line. A small subset of Cablevision customers may find this new service useful. But until the company adds more phones, brings down the price for all customers, and adds a cellular-connection option, Freewheel will remain a niche product.​

http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...-cheap-for-some-but-limited-for-all/index.htm