New trend could alleviate 4g data congestion...

[dsprik]

Cable companies are getting into free roaming wi-fi hotspots for their customers. Wireless carriers also are apparently planning on expanding their wi-fi hot spots. Maybe VZN won't have to ditch their unlimited plan after all?

They probably will at this point, though. Interesting to see where this rush to put up hotspots will all lead in two years or so???

Cable companies to expand free Wi-Fi - May. 21, 2012

 

[Agrajag]

Unless Wifi becomes entirely ubiquitous this isn't going to change anything. Look at the maps. It looks great zoomed out. Zoom in and you're lucky if you can get wifi in one of 10 blocks in a major city. In other words it's a huge annoyance of constantly not having a connection.

 

[Sydman]

Plus there is only something like 5% of customers who actually utilize 4G, so I don't think there is much congestion at the moment.

 

[FoxKat]

Yep, its simply a marketing plot at this stage off the game. Maybe in a few years after they have invested hundreds of millions of dollars into additional hotspots, they might have the kind of impact they're implying this will have now. Also, I agree the 4G congestion is a complete non-issue.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2 using Google voice to text translation. Please excuse any minor spelling, punctuation, capitalization or grammatical errors.

 

[dsprik]

Sorry guys. I don't think I was very clear. I was thinking more in lines of potential movement down the road, not now. I also thought of editing the "4g" to "3g/4g" congestion in 2 years - but left it (wasn't the main idea behind the post). This Wi-Fi expansion, both by cable and wireless providers, could fizzle so you never know. 2 yrs from now is an eternity in technological advancements. We can only speculate and use our imagination. Look back two years ago...

 

[94lt1]

I agree that in the near term this is pretty insignificant... but who knows what the future holds as in the next 2-4 years. Who knows what the reception of Wi-Fi could turn into.

I've often wondered when carriers will turn more towards satellites instead of towers. I'm sure there's a lot of things preventing it as of now, but I look to the.... future lol

DROID RAZR MAXXAMIZED!!!

 

[lovemyram4x4]

Unless Wifi becomes entirely ubiquitous this isn't going to change anything. Look at the maps. It looks great zoomed out. Zoom in and you're lucky if you can get wifi in one of 10 blocks in a major city. In other words it's a huge annoyance of constantly not having a connection.

How is that any different that having 3g/4g always dropping besides not making you phone overheat & kill your battery?

Data actually works OK on my second & third Razr, although it does keep switching it at least stays connected most of the time & only heats up the phone to point that's still bellow a point that it will still charge most of the time.

 

[guidot]

Apparently you aren't understanding the usage of this.

I'm at the Cable Show.

This is meant to assist each others network. Do you want to 'worry' about what you can and can't download when VZW removes your unlimited data when you are waiting at the doctor's office or having a coffee?

I think the panelist from Vevo said it best when he said when people worry about how much they are allotted to consume, they don't consume as much.

Also, it is meant to be stationary. Not a web of handoffs.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

 

[94lt1]

Apparently you aren't understanding the usage of this.

I'm at the Cable Show.

This is meant to assist each others network. Do you want to 'worry' about what you can and can't download when VZW removes your unlimited data when you are waiting at the doctor's office or having a coffee?

I think the panelist from Vevo said it best when he said when people worry about how much they are allotted to consume, they don't consume as much.

Also, it is meant to be stationary. Not a web of handoffs.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

A perspective I didn't consider. Thanx for the info. I never would've looked at it like that.

DROID RAZR MAXXAMIZED!!!

 

[guidot]

A perspective I didn't consider. Thanx for the info. I never would've looked at it like that.

DROID RAZR MAXXAMIZED!!!

Being in the business, it seems like a crazy agreement, but I think it will work to, wait for it, everyone's advantage...

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

 

[94lt1]

Being in the business, it seems like a crazy agreement, but I think it will work to, wait for it, everyone's advantage...

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

I wonder what they have up their sleeves for more rural users? Do you know of anything possibly in the works?

DROID RAZR MAXXIMIZED!!!

 

[FoxKat]

Apparently you aren't understanding the usage of this.

I'm at the Cable Show.

This is meant to assist each others network. Do you want to 'worry' about what you can and can't download when VZW removes your unlimited data when you are waiting at the doctor's office or having a coffee?

I think the panelist from Vevo said it best when he said when people worry about how much they are allotted to consume, they don't consume as much.

Also, it is meant to be stationary. Not a web of handoffs.

Sent from my DROID3 using Tapatalk 2

I understood that this was meant to be a stationary solution rather than a hand off at least initially, but there's certainly talk regarding hand off system or automatic authentication system as well. Of course the handoff doesn't need to be anywhere near as well orchestrated as it is for cellular phone communication, essentially because the audio of a phone communication continues virtually uninterrupted. Not to mention that local wifi communication covers a very small footprint, and in order for that to be a so called web commication these wifi hot spots would need to be very close in proximity to each other. That's not to say that this could not be placed into the fact at some point down the road. Telephone poles are rather closely spaced together and easily with in line of sight distance is for wifi communication so telephone pole top wifi hot spots even as an infrequent location every so few poles down the road would work well.

Philadelphia has had city-wide WIFI (although it failed and is stalled for funding to revive it) so it is realistic to believe it could become as common as cellular at some point. The real issue is that WIFI is a much lower power system, so there needs to be many more "hotspots" within a geographical region than cellular, yet their equipment is far less expensive and can be totally hidden from view. Another problem is that unless interior antennas and repeaters are installed, the signal doesn't propagate well to inner rooms of large buildings.

The bigger issue here, is that there will be a way for people to benefit from their home cable services on the road and that's a value added benefit to the cable service providers which will compete directly with the wireline service providers such as verizon fios system. I don't see this as a plan to reduce congestion on the 3g and 4 g networks, as the question would then be raised why would the cable service providers care whether cellular networks were congested or not. I see this more as a plan to try to entice cellullar service subscribers who also use the wire line or fire systems in their homes back to the cable service providers as a way of saying well if you're with us, and you're on the road, and you don't have cellular service nearby, or your cellular data service is too expensive, or you've exceeded your monthly allotment, you can still connect with us. Also the benefit to be able to watch cable programming while on their wifi hot spots, will be a big attraction.

As the saying goes, united we stand, divided we fall. And I see this as a way of uniting the cable carriers against their formidable opponent, the verizon fios conglomerate. Will it draw me away from my FIOS triple-play service, well - quite possibly yes. Cable provides essentially the same user experience for me, they can now provide phone service, and for all intents and purpose, it would be interchangeable for me. Now, if Verizon got really smart, they'd offer a discount for a "Quadra-play", where the cellular service of Verizon Wireless is coupled with the Verizon FIOS, and the result would be a deterrent from me moving to Comcast for cable Triple-play for instance.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2 using Google voice to text translation. Please excuse any minor spelling, punctuation, capitalization or grammatical errors.

 

[lovemyram4x4]

I understood that this was meant to be a stationary solution rather than a hand off at least initially, but there's certainly talk regarding hand off system or automatic authentication system as well. Of course the handoff doesn't need to be anywhere near as well orchestrated as it is for cellular phone communication, essentially because the audio of a phone communication continues virtually uninterrupted. Not to mention that local wifi communication covers a very small footprint, and in order for that to be a so called web commication these wifi hot spots would need to be very close in proximity to each other. That's not to say that this could not see be placed into the fact at some point down the road. Telephone poles are rather closely spaced together and easily with in line of sight distance is for wifi communication so telephone pole top wifi hot spots even as an infrequent location every so few poles down the road would work well.

The bigger issue here, is that there will be a way for people to benefit from their home cable services on the road and that's a value added benefit to the cable service providers which will compete directly with the wireline service providers such as verizon fios system. I don't see this as a plan to reduce congestion on the 3g and 4 g networks, as the question would then be raised why would the cable service providers care whether cellular networks were congested or not. I see this more as a plan to try to entice cellullar service subscribers who also use the wire line or fire systems in their homes back to the cable service providers as a way of saying well if you're with us, and you're on the road, and you don't have cellular service nearby, or your cellular data service is too expensive, or you've exceeded your monthly allotment, you can still connect with us. Also the benefit to be able to watch cable programming while on their wifi hot spots, will be a big attraction.

As the saying goes, united we stand, divided we fall. And I see this as a way of uniting the cable carriers against their formidable opponent, the verizon fios conglomerate.

Sent from my DROID RAZR MAXX using Xparent ICS Tapatalk 2 using Google voice to text translation. Please excuse any minor spelling, punctuation, capitalization or grammatical errors.

I don't think they have any intentions of making the wifi hotspots coverage good enough so it could be used while being actively mobile, although it could be possible to do. They'll just be looking to expand coverage in areas people gather like shopping centers. On side note most places don't use telephone poles anymore, light & sign post is all you'll find ran along roads.

I'm not sure how other cable companies could use this to compete against FiOS. FiOS can offer anything the others cable companies do, keep in mind most markets only have one of the standard cable companies & in some the option of FiOS or Uverse. FiOS isn't even a threat to the cable companies in a lot of the markets because even in the ones they share with Verizon FiOS isn't available. If they want to compete with FiOS they need to offer a product as good as them, which is hard because their networks aren't as good at this time. I'd pool FiOS in with other cable companies as using the wifi to TV subscribers from those that can't offer the same (sat companies) or don't offer it in your area or not to at all.

 

[guidot]

Keep in mind that IPv6 standards allow a handoff to be started, which is the technology used in both LTE and DOCSIS 3 (which are the modems installed for these hotspots).

On the panel, they agreed that it was possible, but had not talked about it on the financial level.

Remember, at this time, they are being installed in businesses, as a value added service.

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[Sydman]

They could just do like they did here in Austin for the SXSW festival but on a much larger scale, turn homeless people in WIFI hotspots .