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CBS Offers Midtown Manhattan Free Wireless Internet Access
Some awesome news out of Manhattan today. CBS Corporation has announced today that it will "light up" midtown Manhattan with the creation of the "CBS Mobile Zone," a wireless high-speed network enabling New Yorkers with Wi-Fi-enabled cell phones, laptops or other devices to access the Internet for free, and make voice over internet (VOI) calls.
The zone will be from Times Square to Central Park South and from 6th Avenue to 8th Avenue and is a test in partnership with the MTA.
You might be asking what CBS gets out of the deal – ad impressions! New Yorkers who access the "CBS Mobile Zone," will be greeted by an ad-supported homepage that includes hyperlocal content such as breaking local and national news, sports highlights, weather reports, music discovery, wallpapers, ringtones, maps, a social network and the ability to search for nearby restaurants, shops and entertainment complete with geographically- targeted community reviews. Citi and Salesgenie.com(TM) have signed on to be early sponsors of the Wi-Fi HotZone.
"This is another example of how the assets of CBS Outdoor are enhanced by new technologies," said Wally Kelly, Chairman and CEO of CBS Outdoor. "What better way to show we are committed to turning our Outdoor assets
into next-generation interactive platforms than providing free Wi-Fi service in what is arguably the busiest stretch of real estate in the world. This offering will allow us to evaluate the prospect of applying Wi-Fi capabilities across our Outdoor properties globally."
They are also giving routers to local businesses in the Mobile Zone to enhance the signals. I wonder what the signal will be like on New Year’s Eve! Just how many connections can this system handle was not disclosed.
Many of the companies covered on CN are included in the Homepage including: Tropos, BIG, Fon, Ning, Goowy, Veoh, Yelp, 1020, Aptilo and Can-Do Entertainment.
Very exciting news – I will do my best to test the system over the coming weeks and report back.
[...] in November 2007, we wrote about a free WiFi service provided by CBS in Times Square. I am not sure if the program is still continuing as I [...]
ThDuAb says: How will they show the ads on my SkypePhone that doesn’t have a browser? In the future there will be more and more devices that don’t have a traditional user interface.
centernetworks says: remember they are putting the networks on their billboards – which is cheaper than running new. it’s great, let’s just see how the service is.
Skip says: How much does something like this cost? If it’s sufficiently publicized, these mini-wireless networks could be a decent way to spend marketing dollars.
Oh Blah Dee Blah Dah says: Bryant Park is just outside of the CBS free WiFi zone, at the South-East corner.
John C. SMith says: Will it work in Bryant Park you think?
I would also be curious as to monthly cost of this. (and up-front, if significant)
Anonymous says: Bryant Park already has free wifi.
Based on a few anecdotal data points, I’m calculating the break-even per user session to be $.20 – $.30. Of course this varies based on the number of user sessions, and the highly variable nature of their monetization strategy.
till says: Kinda like what Google offers in SF, right?
This is a fantastic idea. Good to see a large corporation spending some of it’s money for the consumers.
http://askaslacker.blogspot.com
This is fantastic. Hopefully the start of a trend!
Wouldn’t it be nice if big companies started trying to claim different regions as their own “free wifi” zones?
This very topic came up yesterday at Bill Sobel’s NY:MIEG breakfast. As a content creator I am extremely enthused about the future of mobile, but was concerned about connectivity… CBS is doing something truly great for the future of online entertainment from the perspective of large production companies and independent web producers alike.
Anonymous says: …is already equipped with wireless through the park service.
Keep in mind a lot of hotspots require you to initially go to the autodirected mainpage to agree to their TOS (and see their ad). Which means your Skype phone will not work.
It’s up and running right now. Actually has been for a few days, they just didnt tell anyone while they tested it.
I am not a New Yorker but when I last stayed in hotel south of Manhattan there were numerous open wi-fi networks. That combined with all the business (coffe shops, delis, ect.) and government (Bryant Park) free zones, I question how many people will want to slog through all the advertisements for a “free” signal.
Nice job CBS! I look forward to checking this out.
(…as long as the ads don’t hijack the experience with delayed popups or injected/persistent frames)
so when is this thing supposed to start? is it working now??
With a partnership with the MTA, this could be the starting point for providing access throught MTA’s system for free.
but my Nokia N800 will – and it’s the PERFECT compliment to to a service like this – full net browsing and Skype and Gizmo calling. I may just have to hangout there all the time!
Cool, wish we had more like this in English cities. I might actually write summin on my blog bout this soon – Chaeck it out at