Comcast Gets Rolling With ‘Xfinity WiFi on Wheels’

Comcast said it has begun to deploy a portable broadband platform, called Xfinity Wi-Fi on Wheels, that was developed in partnership with Ericsson. The platform, tailored to bring Wi-Fi connectivity to venues such as concerts and festivals as well as emergency response situations, is a customized Ford T-350 van equipped with six Ericsson Wi-Fi access points perched on a 40-foot tall mast.

“The Wi-Fi has a 500-foot range and can support up to 3,000 users, potentially reaching speeds five times faster than cellular,” noted Eric Schaefer, Comcast’s SVP of wireless product management. He said Comcast conducted a practice run at the Wizard World Comic Con in Philadelphia, noting that the platform provided users with access to WiFi speeds of more than 50 Mbps. Comcast has since taken its act on the road, stopping by the New Haven Arts and Ideas Festival in June, but have it back in Philadelphia in time for next week’s Democratic National Convention.