Cablevision said its Optimum Online data subscribers have logged onto the Internet more than 2 million times using the company’s free Wi-Fi hotspots.

The company’s Wi-Fi users are averaging more than 1 million minutes online per day, and Cablevision topped the 2 million user session benchmark in less than half the time it took to hit the 1 million session milestone.

Cablevision’s Wi-Fi network, which it claims is the nation’s largest and most advanced, is broadly available across its Long Island, N.Y., Westchester and Dutchess county, N.Y., Connecticut and New Jersey service areas. The service, which has an estimated cost of $300 million, is called Optimum WiFi.

Thousands of Wi-Fi access points have been deployed in high-traffic and commercial locations, such as downtown areas, parks and other outdoor locations. Optimum WiFi has also been activated on hundreds of commuter rail platforms and station parking lots. With downstream speeds of up to 3 Mbps, Cablevision said Optimum WiFi is more than twice as fast as many cell phone data plans that can cost upwards of $100 per month.

"We are building our Wi-Fi network as a value-added extension of our residential and business-based Internet products, so it's extremely gratifying to know that our Optimum Online customers have already accessed the Internet more than 2 million times over Optimum WiFi, and are averaging more than 1 million free minutes online per day," said Kevin Curran, Cablevision's senior vice president of wireless product development. "Offering fast, free and convenient Internet access, Optimum WiFi has exploded in popularity, as more of our customers are finding and using the network every day."