Cablevision Systems has hired two executives from the wireless-services industry for its Optimum Wi-Fi broadband division as it prepares to expand the service across its New York-area footprint.
The operator Thursday announced that it named Tim Farrell, previously with Wi-Fi hotspot aggregator Boingo Wireless, vice president of wireless product development. Craig Plunkett, who previously founded a wireless service provider on New York’s Long Island, has been named vice president of wireless market development.
Both report to Kevin Curran, Cablevision’s senior vice president of Wi-Fi product development.
Last month Cablevision announced the completion of the initial phase of its wireless deployment on Long Island. Over the next two years, Cablevision plans to deploy Optimum Wi-Fi across its entire service area and has said it plans to spend at least $300 million on the buildout.
The MSO offers Wi-Fi access with symmetrical speeds of up to 1.5 Megabits per second for no extra charge to Optimum Online high-speed Internet customers.
Farrell, responsible for product evolution and partnerships, was previously vice president of product, professional services and engineering for Boingo Wireless, whose services provide Wi-Fi access to more than 100,000 hotspots worldwide with a single account.
Plunkett will be responsible for customer experience management and product implementation. He most recently was co-founder of Fire Island Wireless, an Internet service provider in western Long Island.
Bethpage, N.Y.-based Cablevision provides high-speed Internet service to more than 2.4 million customers, or 51% of the homes passed, which the company claimed is the highest penetration of any Internet service in the U.S.
