Commenting that he's "not a big believer in the quad play," Gregg Siebert, CFO of Cablevision, said the cable company abandoned the notion of marketing a smartphone that would leverage cellular networks as well Cablevision's network of 80,000 hotspots.
"On a long-term basis, our wireless future is entirely concentrated on Wi-Fi," said Siebert in remarks at the J.P. Morgan Global Technology, Media and Telecom Conference.
As reported by our sister publication FierceCable, Cablevision decided the idea of introducing a low-priced wireless phone service was not going to provide a viable opportunity. The product would have used Cablevision's Wi-Fi network to allow customers to roam onto cellular networks when they traveled outside the company's Wi-Fi footprint.
Other cable operators, namely Comcast, Time Warner Cable, Cox Communications and Bright House, have struck deals with Verizon Wireless (NYSE:VZ) that allow them to market quadruple plays of video, high-speed data and landline and mobile phone service to subscribers. However, Cablevision has opted to keep a mobile phone product out of its portfolio.
Siebert said Cablevision intends to target carriers such as Verizon Wireless with marketing that explains how people can reduce their cellular data bills by connecting mobile devices to Cablevision's Wi-Fi network.
For more:
- see this FierceCable article
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