AT&T and Starbucks Officially Begin WiFi Rollout
Remember the WiFi pact brewed up between AT&T and Starbucks earlier this year? Well, the two have announced that the rollout has begun at company-operated Starbucks locations and the nationwide effort will continue throughout 2008.
Effective May 1st, qualifying AT&T high-speed internet / WiFi customers — that’s those who subscribe to one of the three higher-speed residential broadband packages, a small business broadband package or a U-verse offering with high-speed internet — will have free WiFi access at over 7,000 coffeehouses across the US. Coupled with AT&T’s January announcement offering broadband subscribers free WiFi at all their WiFi locations nationwide, it’s looking like a pretty good year for AT&T broadband subscribers!
Doug
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Great, since I already have AT&T and I am not interested in T mobile, maybe I can get work done at Starbucks again.
Also, they want some of those IPHONE people in their stores. These people are hip and cutting edge and have more money to spend.
Smart move.
It will take a year for AT&T/Starbucks to decide what kind of deal, if any, they will offer regular iPhone users. Remember, AT&T initially allowed only individual accounts for the iPhone, no business accounts, so those individuals make up the majority of iPhone users.
Only recently has AT&T begun to allow corporate broadband customers to put iPhones on their business accounts. They, along with top tier home broadband customers, are covered for unlimited free WiFi at Starbucks.
Our company is an AT&T broadband customer and my wife's iPhone was on a personal account at AT&T. When AT&T began allowing iPhones on business accounts, we moved the iPhone to the corporate account in anticipation of the free nationwide AT&T hotspot offerings including Starbucks.
If you have a business using AT&T broadband and a personal iPhone account at AT&T, now's a good time to move the iPhone to your business account. Free nationwide WiFi is a big carrot!
Doug
Let me get this. If I buy an iPhone from AT&T, I won't get the unlimited free WiFi unless I have AT&T broadband at home? I was really counting on that!!
I think for now there is some kind of deal where Starbucks will give 2 hours a day free to their card customers (that way they can keep track of time used, probably a fee over that). If you don't have a card, their free.
This isn't just about iPhones. The same goes for your laptops which is probably what most people use at hot spots.
Of course, but nothing really changes for laptop users (except WiFi access for those with AT&T broadband accounts will be free) while iPhone users (without home AT&T broadband but with AT&T business broadband) can now switch their personal iPhone accounts over to their business accounts and gain free WiFi access on their iPhones too.
Naturally, if they fall into a covered group, their laptop access will change from fee based to free.
Do iphone users actually web surf?
iPhone is one of (if not the only) cell phone with a full Safari web browser (not a wimpy mobile version) and a screen big enough to use it. So users do work on the web. Expect to see more of them at Starbucks and other WiFi hotspots.
I hate Starbucks but if I get free WiFi there and it is a fast as it is supposed to be, then I will go there. The coffee shop I go to has free WiFi but it is pretty slow. Any idea where the rest of AT&Ts free WiFi hotspots are? I couldn't find the list on their site.
What do we have to do to be able to sign on at Starbucks tomorrow?