CableLabs Collab Leads to New Wi-Fi Application

Louisville, CO — CableLabs® the non-profit research and development consortium for the cable industry, today announced that its Wi-Fi application software, co-developed with Cablevision and member companies, has been licensed to mPortal for further distribution to the cable industry – providing an enhanced subscriber mobile experience.

Consumers have come to expect a seamless, high quality of experience (QoE) on their mobile devices and can get frustrated with service providers when connectivity lags. In an effort to provide the high quality connection subscribers demand, CableLabs teamed up with Cablevision and other member companies, to design, prototype and test a software application that can measure the quality of experience cable subscribers have on cable Wi-Fi networks and assist operators in directing their customers to locations where they can seamlessly connect to cable Wi-Fi networks.

“As a leader in cable Wi-Fi deployments, Cablevision partnered with CableLabs to co-innovate application technologies that measures and improves our customers’ experience on the Optimum WiFi network,” said Timothy Farrell, Cablevision’s vice president of broadband product management.  “Cablevision continues to expand our Optimum WiFi network, and delivering the best quality customer experience is our number one priority.  We have been working with CableLabs since 2011 to co-develop software that helps our customers obtain better connectivity when using Optimum WiFi.  We believe this software will improve the cable Wi-Fi offering and we are pleased to share it with other CableLabs members.”

In an effort to make this technology available to the broader cable industry, CableLabs has licensed the Wi-Fi application to mPortal, a software leader in connected device experiences across mobile, tablet, and connected TV platforms. mPortal will package the application technology in conjunction with its Wi-Fi product suite, enabling the software vendor to provide cable operators the ability to help their customers find the best Wi-Fi access point near them, improving customer satisfaction and balancing Wi-Fi access point usage.

“Through this co-innovated application technology we aim to improve the quality of experience subscribers have on Wi-Fi networks operated by cable operators,” said Phil McKinney, president and chief executive officer of CableLabs.  “We worked with Cablevision as our co-development partner on this and the team has now successfully transferred the project to vendors for further product commercialization.  We are determined to assist our members to be the Wi-Fi service provider of choice in their markets.”

The CableLabs Wi-Fi application software provides cable companies the ability to offer value-added services to their Wi-Fi offering, including:

• Wi-Fi detection to help customers find the best cable Wi-Fi service near their current location.
• Mapping of the Wi-Fi locations with the ability to view details on the performance level and quality of the Wi-Fi access point.
• Wi-Fi testing services to determine the quality of experience and available bandwidth of the customer’s current Wi-Fi service.

About CableLabs: Cable Television Laboratories (www.cablelabs.com) was founded in 1988 by members of the cable television industry. A non-profit research and development consortium, CableLabs delivers innovations that enable cable operators to be the providers of choice in their markets. Cable operators from around the world are members. CableLabs maintains web sites at www.cablelabs.com; www.packetcable.com; www.cablemodem.com; www.cablenet.org, and www.opencable.com.

CableLabs® is a registered trademark of Cable Television Laboratories, Inc. Other CableLabs marks are listed at https://www.cablelabs.com/certqual/trademarks. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.

About Cablevision: Cablevision Systems Corporation (NYSE: CVC) is one of the nation’s leading media and telecommunications companies. In addition to delivering its Optimum-branded cable, Internet, and voice offerings throughout the New York area, the company owns and operates cable systems serving homes in four Western states. Cablevision’s local media properties include News 12 Networks, MSG Varsity and Newsday Media Group. Cablevision also owns and operates Clearview Cinemas. Additional information about Cablevision is available on the Web at www.cablevision.com.