Pre-WiMAX, CBS Satisfies Need for Wireless Access in Midtown Manhattan

Pre-WiMAX, CBS Satisfies Need for Wireless Access in Midtown Manhattan November 15, 2007

Posted by Ari Zoldan in Word on the Street Is....
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New Yorkers in Midtown now have a new way to gain wireless access from their cellphones, laptops and other devices, as well as make VoI (Voice Over Internet) calls. The best part is it’s free.

Wireless IQ reports that CBS is launching “CBS Mobile Zone,” an ad-supported Wi-Fi blanket that will cover Times Square to Central Park South between 6th and 8th Avenues. The Mobile Zone’s homepage will feature local news and content, including neighborhood maps and search capabilites. For the United States, this type of access being available for free in a major city is a fairly important advancement.

The fact that CBS has chosen to do this illustrates a need in the wireless market; a need that WiMAX could fill to an even greater extent. Cyriac Roeding, Executive Vice President, CBS Mobile is quoted as saying,

“We are pleased to deliver what may be the most advanced wireless and pre-WiMax, outdoor offering of it’s kind in the U.S…we believe we’re offering something helpful to all New Yorkers.”

If all goes as described, CBS Mobile Zone will in fact be a helpful (and probably enjoyable) tool for New Yorkers in Midtown. However, it serves as an example of only a microcosm of what WiMAX could accomplish for New York City, as well as for other regions across the United States. Perhaps a taste of the convenience of blanketed mobile internet will inspire more calls for WiMAX and related technologies?

Technorati Tags: WiMAX, CBS Mobile Zone, Wi-Fi, New York City, mobile internet, Ari Zoldan