Dish launches a WiFi and TV service aimed at apartment dwellers
It gives landlords the opportunity to 'monetize' their amenities.
Last week Dish announced a new service designed to make smart home technology available to all, now it's launching another service that makes modern tech accessible to everyone. "Dish Fiber" is a combined WiFi and livestreaming TV bundle for those living in multifamily communities, such as apartment blocks and student housing.
The service lets landlords offer two services -- WiFi and livestream TV -- direct to their tenants. While the property owner manages the overall contract with Dish, each resident has access to their own personal network. This means that tenants don't have to go through the hassle of sorting out these utilities when they move in -- everything is set up and ready to go -- while landlords can tack on an extra fee to the rent for the services. Or, according to Dish's press release, "monetize their highly-valued amenities."
According to Dish, the service comes with flexible billing options. Exactly how the contract works between landlord and tenant is presumably down to the landlord, and therefore potentially open to abuse -- could the tenant end up paying over the odds for these services if they're otherwise in the dark about how it all works? That said, sorting out WiFi and TV services are a familiar headache for those that move frequently, and this kind of deal gives them access to the utilities they want without locking them into lengthy contracts directly with a provider.
