Tech Made Simple

Hot Topics: How to Fix Bluetooth Pairing Problems | Complete Guide to Facebook Privacy | How to Block Spam Calls | Snapchat Symbol Meaning

author photo

Cablevision Launching Wi-Fi-only Smartphone Service

by on January 26, 2015
in Phones and Mobile, News, Internet Calling, Blog, Money Savers :: 1 comment

Techlicious editors independently review products. To help support our mission, we may earn affiliate commissions from links contained on this page.

Motorola Moto G phone on the Freewheel networkFor many of us, Wi-Fi networks are ubiquitous. We’re connected at home, at work, at the neighborhood coffee shop and while shopping at the mall. With nearly 80% of all smartphone data usage now happening over an available Wi-Fi network, the question has to be asked: Do we all really need cellular service with an expensive 4G LTE data allowance?

Cablevision is betting that some people, in fact, don’t. Today, the ISP took the wraps off a new service named Freewheel designed to replace your mobile carrier. Freewheel offers a Wi-Fi-only smartphone service with unlimited talk, text and data over any available network – including a shared multi-carrier network of 300,000 Wi-Fi hotspots nationwide.

Freewheel is designed to be a low-cost alternative to your existing carrier. While a single line on Verizon might cost you near $75 per month, Freewheel service starts at just $9.95 per month for existing Cablevision broadband customers. Those without Cablevision service can sign up at the higher rate of $29.95 per month. International calling is available at an extra cost.

The benefits to Freewheel are obvious – you can place as many calls as you’d like and send as many texts as your fingers can muster, using your home data network rather than a mobile one. Plus, there’s no long-term contract to sign. It makes a compelling choice for the most price-sensitive of customers who almost always find themselves around a Wi-Fi network, such as dorm-dwelling college students.

Of course, the drawbacks to being limited to just Wi-Fi calls are significant. With Freewheel, you can’t access mobile networks at all, so if your car breaks down in the middle of the woods or you need emergency services, you’re hosed. You’re also in trouble if your home experiences a power outage and your router goes dark. Freewheel is further limited by the fact that it works with only one smartphone – the (now $99.95) Motorola Moto G – which you’ll need to purchase up front.

Freewheel service will be available for purchase nationwide starting next month. For more information, visit Freewheel.com. To find out how to make free phone calls over Wi-Fi without monthly fees, check out the free Google Voice.

[Image credit: Freewheel]


Discussion loading

I think you should try

From Kil on January 27, 2015 :: 3:12 am

I think you should try an app for your phone, it allows: track GPS location, spy on text messages, web history, images, calls logs and spy call recording, spy on Whatsapp, Viber, Facebook messages, Snapchat, Line, BBM messages and so on. It’s 1TopSpy, you’d try it :D

Reply

Love getting helpful tech tips? Subscribe to our free newsletter!

Home | About | Meet the Team | Contact Us
Media Kit | Newsletter Sponsorships
Accessibility Statement
Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookie Policy

Techlicious participates in affiliate programs, including the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, which provide a small commission from some, but not all, of the "click-thru to buy" links contained in our articles. These click-thru links are determined after the article has been written, based on price and product availability — the commissions do not impact our choice of recommended product, nor the price you pay. When you use these links, you help support our ongoing editorial mission to provide you with the best product recommendations.

© Techlicious LLC.