CBS creates CBS Mobile Zone

CBS
Corporation announced that it will “light up” midtown Manhattan with
the creation of the “CBS Mobile Zone,” a wireless high-speed network
enabling New Yorkers with Wi-Fi-enabled cell phones, laptops or other devices
to access the Internet for free, and make voice over internet (VOI) calls. The
Wi-Fi HotZone, which is available today in certain areas, will be fully
operational on by month’s end with a footprint of more than 20 city blocks from

Times Square to Central Park South and from

6th Avenue to

8th Avenue. This
initiative is part of a 6-month pilot program with the Metropolitan
Transportation Authority and New York City Transit to test the potential
communications capabilities of Wi-Fi technology.

New
Yorkers who access the “CBS Mobile Zone,” will be greeted by an
ad-supported homepage that includes hyperlocal content such as breaking local
and national news, sports highlights, weather reports, music discovery,
wallpapers, ringtones, maps, a social network and the ability to search for nearby
restaurants, shops and entertainment complete with geographically- targeted
community reviews. Citi and Salesgenie.com ave signed on to be early sponsors
of the Wi-Fi HotZone.

“We
are pleased to deliver what may be the most advanced wireless and pre-WiMax,
outdoor offering of it’s kind in the

U.S.,” said Cyriac Roeding,
Executive Vice President, CBS Mobile. “Whether it’s surfing the web on
your laptop from a park bench, receiving breaking news, sports scores, locating
the closest recommended pizza shop or calling your friend for free via your
Wi-Fi-enabled phone, we believe we’re offering something helpful to all New
Yorkers. Thanks to the extraordinary capabilities of our partners the whole
project took less than six months to complete and was highly cost
effective.”

“This
is another example of how the assets of CBS Outdoor are enhanced by new
technologies,” said Wally Kelly, Chairman and CEO of CBS Outdoor.
“What better way to show we are committed to turning our Outdoor assets
into next-generation interactive platforms than providing free Wi-Fi service in
what is arguably the busiest stretch of real estate in the world. This offering
will allow us to evaluate the prospect of applying Wi-Fi capabilities across
our Outdoor properties globally.”