Time Warner to Offer Free WiFi in Austin

By Cynthia Herbert :: 10:56 PM

Faced with competition from Google and its lightning fast broadband Internet service Google Fiber, Time Warner Cable is trying to get a jump on its impending competitor by offering free public WiFi in the city of Austin, Texas.

“Google’s recent announcement encouraged us to deploy our network more aggressively now,” confessed Time Warner Cable’s digital communications director, Jeff Simmermon.

The company’s plan for its Austin WiFi hot-spot network is to make access free to all Time Warner customers who have an account at home at a level of “Standard Internet” or above. In addition to residential customers, the WiFi access will be available for Time Warner Business Class subscribers as well.

Non-customers can access the network for a fee of $2.95 per hour.

The Time Warner service is currently available in many areas of the city, and the company plans to stretch coverage throughout Austin in the coming months.

While being able to have access to free WiFi across the city may be a draw for some customers, Time Warner’s residential packages will still not have the super fast broadband speed that Google Fiber will provide. If the company is hoping to lure possible customers away from Google, it will likely need to do more than just blanket the city with wireless access points.