Broadband Reports has learned that Comcast is engaged in trials that may (or may not) result in the company offering Comcast customers free Wi-Fi. According to sources within Comcast, the cable giant has been studying Cablevision’s free Wi-Fi operations with great interest, and today launched a technical trial offering Wi-Fi service near NJ Transit commuter rail stations throughout the New Jersey region. According to the source, users are required to sign into the service by entering their Comcast.net usernames and passwords before they are allowed to access the Internet via the Wi-Fi Hot Zones.

We’re reviewing all aspects of wireless data networks and gauging user interest as a value-added service to Comcast High-Speed Internet -Comcast

Comcast spokesperson Mary Nell Westbrook confirmed the trial. “We’re reviewing all aspects of wireless data networks and gauging user interest as a value-added service to Comcast High-Speed Internet,” says Westbrook. “Comcast Wi-Fi is a limited local trial — a beta test service that is available at no additional charge to existing Comcast Internet customers,” she says.

Both Cablevision and Comcast confirmed to me that the two companies were collaborating on the deployment of Wi-Fi technology. “Comcast conducted some side-by-side learnings with Cablevision as part of their launch of their Optimum Wi-Fi service,” says Westbrook. Cablevision spokesman Jim Maiella confirmed the collaboration, but didn’t offer additional specifics.

Westbrook makes clear that while the two companies worked together on technical tests, the Comcast and Cablevision services in New Jersey will remain entirely separate, though there will apparently be some gear cohabitation. “A Comcast customer cannot access any of the Optimum WiFi Hot Zones,” notes Westbrook. “For the trial, our services are both available at all of the locations that are included — generally NJ Transit commuter rail stations — but the two services are offered separately.”

Given this is an early technical trial, no product launch dates have been announced, though our source tells us the trial is scheduled to run until late December of this year. Comcast is far from hashing out marketing specifics concerning the trial, so there’s no word yet on non-subscriber pricing or usage restrictions. Cablevision likewise isn’t commenting on when Wi-Fi will be officially available in New Jersey, we assume a co-habitation agreement simply extends commuter availability of their existing Wi-Fi footprint while users cross Comcast territory.

Cablevision announced their own Wi-Fi ambitions last May, saying deployment will take roughly two years to complete, and will cost Cablevision about 0 per customer (Cablevision has 3.1 million cable customers, 2.4 million of whom have broadband). After lighting up a massive swath of Long Island in September, Cablevision activated high traffic areas of Connecticut — as well as in Westchester/Dutchess counties in NY. Cablevision’s current network offers symmetrical speeds of 1.5Mbps, and they provide a coverage map here.

“Wi-Fi is nothing new to most MSOs,” insists Comcast’s Westbrook. “Many have similar services or trials and frankly it’s not new to Comcast,” she notes, adding that they’ve had it in a number of markets already — including some they acquired from Time Warner Cable. Comcast has offered Wi-Fi at the Houston Astros Minute Maid Park; select retirement communities in Florida; certain parts of San Jose; and certain hospitality venues and pilots at the University of Miami. The company is also of course working with Clearwire to offer mobile WiMax.

Both Cablevision and Comcast have renewed their interest in Wi-Fi, as it gives them an additional weapon to use when competing with Verizon FiOS. You might recall that Verizon once offered free Wi-Fi in Manhattan, but scrapped the project back in 2005 because they feared it cannibalized the sale of their (then) EVDO service. We’ll post more on Comcast’s new Wi-Fi efforts when we have it. We’d be happy to hear from any local New Jersey customers who can test the service’s speed.
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