Photo courtesy of iStockphoto, Dmitriy Filippov

Cablevision this week announced completion of the initial phase of its Optimum Wi-Fi deployment, calling it "the largest and most advanced consumer Wi-Fi network in the nation."

"Certain high-traffic areas of Nassau County and Suffolk County, as well as the commuter rail platforms and station parking lots across all of Long Island now offer Cablevision-supported Wi-Fi at no extra charge to existing customers," writes Wi-Fi Planet's Naomi Graychase. "Also covered are the Bridgeport & Port Jefferson Ferry Line, commercial zones in Sag Harbor, Northport, and Huntington on Long Island; Westport and New Canaan in Connecticut; Peekskill, Pleasantville, and Pelham in Westchester/Hudson Valley; Denville, Ridgewood, and Tenafly in New Jersey; and Parkchester in the Bronx."

GigaOM's Om Malik is unimpressed. "The network isn't terribly fast - speed is going to be up to just 1.5 megabits per second," he writes . "You may be able to use it for VoIP calls, but given my experience with most open Wi-Fi networks, don't count on good quality."

More here from TMCnet ... more here from InformationWeek ... and the press release is here.