AT&T Now Providing Wifi Access at Starbucks

[G4R2]

While not exclusively iPhone news by any means this report should be of interest to iPhone users. Evidently ATT is attempting to oust T-Mobile from the Starbucks wireless space according to this report on Gizmodo:

http://gizmodo.com/354961/att-bringi...rbucks-finally

It's good to finally see some wi-fi hotspot competition that directly benefits wireless users by lowering, or in this case eradicating, usage charges. It's also going to be of great benefit to wi-fi enabled internet devices like the iPhone and Touch.

[ed note: only "free" for certain customers: Starbucks card holders and AT&T broadband customers]

[drb6]

Great news. More free internet the better. Especially for those of us around NYC where Starbucks is as ever present as air.

[Stampyhead]

Yeah, totally. T-mobile's prices are not competitive. They charge $6.00 for an hour, whereas at an AT&T hotspot I paid $4.50 for two hours.

EDIT: Looks like now it's $3.99 for two hours. Even better.

[Digital Skunk]

Originally Posted by Stampyhead

Yeah, totally. T-mobile's prices are not competitive. They charge $6.00 for an hour, whereas at an AT&T hotspot I paid $4.50 for two hours.

EDIT: Looks like now it's $3.99 for two hours. Even better.

Nothing beats free. AT&T can suck it. (as in my free router and the plethora of free hotspots around the Baltimore City populated/college/university areas) There is no way I am going to pay my cell company for unlimited broadband access, then pay T-Mobile or AT&T even more money just to access the wireless from a Starbucks after paying $7 for my small cup of burnt coffee.

I can just go to my local college, university, HBCU to get free wifi and good inexpensive coffee.

p.s. Christmas blend is a great cup of joe though... so I would go to starbucks for that.

[Flyer0815]

Originally Posted by Digital Skunk

p.s. Christmas blend is a great cup of joe though... so I would go to starbucks for that.

Love the Christmas Blend... one of the reasons why I frequent Starbucks around the holidays... Free wifi would be an added bonus.

[gowanis]

Originally Posted by Digital Skunk

Nothing beats free. AT&T can suck it.

i agree. wi-fi for my iPod touch is sorta worthless to me. i need it when i'm on the train to work and i don't frequent Starbucks very often. so, I carry my touch and my Treo (Verizon). However, if Starbucks offered free wi-fi to customers, maybe I would stop in for coffee more often.

[dtotheg]

I spoke with someone who worked on this project and I understand that the two free hours a day may only require two "transactions" per month on the starbucks card. I like it a lot. Buy two cups a month (or 1, plus deposit onto the card), and you get two free hours a day at any store anytime.

I was also told iPhones get free access AND there are some Apple affinity things still coming (like iTunes caching servers at every store and free feature songs daily and more stuff I can't remember).

[princemarko]

Originally Posted by Stampyhead

Yeah, totally. T-mobile's prices are not competitive. They charge $6.00 for an hour, whereas at an AT&T hotspot I paid $4.50 for two hours.

EDIT: Looks like now it's $3.99 for two hours. Even better.

T-Mobile lets you on their wifi FREE if you have a data plan, AT&T doesn't. If you are an iphone user, you are crap out of luck for free wifi at starbucks. I'll stick with my free T-Mobile wifi over AT&T's subscription.

[superfula]

Originally Posted by princemarko

T-Mobile lets you on their wifi FREE if you have a data plan, AT&T doesn't. If you are an iphone user, you are crap out of luck for free wifi at starbucks. I'll stick with my free T-Mobile wifi over AT&T's subscription.

One, T-Mobile has horrid coverage here and in many places, so that isn't a plus for many people.

I get free internet for two hours of every day just by having a Starbucks card. It doesn't matter if I'm on an iPhone, Mac, or Windows. I'd rather do that and have a decent mobile carrier than deal with t-mobiles terrible coverage.

[bluechipBMW]

Originally Posted by superfula

One, T-Mobile has horrid coverage here and in many places, so that isn't a plus for many people.

I get free internet for two hours of every day just by having a Starbucks card. It doesn't matter if I'm on an iPhone, Mac, or Windows. I'd rather do that and have a decent mobile carrier than deal with t-mobiles terrible coverage.

Ok..I have a dumb question. How do you access your free wifi by having a starbucks card? Everytime I go into a starbucks the only wifi it has is the tmobile hot spot which asks for an user id and password.

Is their any limiation with the starbucks card? for example do you have to purchase something in order to get the 2 free hours?

[dtotheg]

Originally Posted by princemarko

T-Mobile lets you on their wifi FREE if you have a data plan, AT&T doesn't. If you are an iphone user, you are crap out of luck for free wifi at starbucks. I'll stick with my free T-Mobile wifi over AT&T's subscription.

iPhone users automatically get free wifi

[aristobrat]

FWIW, T-Mobile users look unaffected:

http://money.cnn.com/news/newsfeeds/...9_FORTUNE5.htm

In addition, Starbucks, a Seattle coffee company, said T-Mobile customers will be able to use the Wi-Fi services at no additional costs through an agreement between AT&T and T-Mobile, a unit of Deutsche Telekom AG (DT).

Originally Posted by drb6

Great news. More free internet the better.

Agreed, although it's not going to be free for most folks. Looks like you'll have to have a Starbucks gift card, or subscribe to AT&T broadband at your house before you get to use it for free.

[gkarris]

^^^ So is that true? My reason for getting T-Mobile Total Internet is for my iPhone as well as WiFi at Starbucks and Borders.

If Starbucks switches to AT&T and decides to not let T-Mobile users on, then looks like I'm cancelling my Edge service....

[MacRumors]

Starbucks announced that they are partnering with AT&T to provide wireless access to their 7000 stores nationwide. Starbucks had previously partnered with T-Mobile to provide pay Wifi access at their stores.

The new service extends AT&T's free wireless to their AT&T broadband customers and also provides 2 hours of free wireless/day to Starbucks purchase card customers. Beyond this, AT&T offers service at $3.99 for a two-hour session, or $19.99 for monthly access.


Article Link

[PlaceofDis]

sweet! i get this included with my broadband service through them then.

not that i go to starbucks very often, but knowing i won't have to pay for the internet there, i probably will be more inclined to when i need to get more focused.

[GeekLawyer]

This is, or will be, great news for iPhone users.

[Westside guy]

Originally Posted by MacRumors

The new service extends AT&T's free wireless to their AT&T broadband customers and also provides 2 hours of free wireless/day to Starbucks purchase card customers.

So what's a "Starbucks purchase card"? And if you have to buy it, how is this "free wireless"?

[gkarris]

Originally Posted by Westside guy

So what's a "Starbucks purchase card"? And if you have to buy it, how is this "free wireless"?

I think they're talking about that Starbucks VISA card...

[halhiker]

It seems it would make more sense to give free Wi-Fi to iPhone customers than to broadband customers. It'd help promote iPhone sales and ATT makes $60 per month on those sales and only about $10-$30 for home broadband.

[nagromme]

Originally Posted by halhiker

It seems it would make more sense to give free Wi-Fi to iPhone customers than to broadband customers. It'd help promote iPhone sales and ATT makes $60 per month on those sales and only about $10-$30 for home broadband.

It seems like AT&T is offering it free to BOTH groups--and to those who buy coffee. (Even my local non-chain coffee places want you to buy something and not just mooch the WiFi and take up space.)

I don't know what AT&T's actual profit margins are on DSL vs. mobile phones, but both are big markets for them.

Originally Posted by Westside guy

So what's a "Starbucks purchase card"? And if you have to buy it, how is this "free wireless"?

The purchase in question would be coffee

Currently, with T-Mobile, you buy your coffee AND pay $6 per hour ($6 minimum) for WiFi

[Unspeaked]

Originally Posted by nagromme

The purchase in question would be coffee

Currently, with T-Mobile, you buy your coffee AND pay $6 per hour ($6 minimum) for WiFi

Are you sure about this? Because it doesn't read that way to me...

[winterspan]

Originally Posted by Unspeaked

Are you sure about this? Because it doesn't read that way to me...

Yes, currently at starbucks Tmobile hotspots you have to pay per block of time for Wifi even with a purchase. That's unlike nearly all the other Coffee houses in all of the areas I've lived in the last few years (Hollywood, Pasadena, Pittsburgh, Las Vegas, Boise, Coeur d' alene ID). They offer free Wifi for customers.. but in most cases it's like an honor system as they don't password the Wifi and then give out passes with purchases receipts, although some do exactly that..

[Virgil-TB2]

Originally Posted by Westside guy

So what's a "Starbucks purchase card"? And if you have to buy it, how is this "free wireless"?

Yeah, and people are also forgetting this is only in the USA, and it's pretty backwards compared to other countries WiFi access.

In my neighborhood in Canada, Starbucks still has no WiFi at all and I don't know any that do. On the other hand, there are five or six hippie-dippie coffee shops within walking distance, that have completely free, open wireless, no password no advertising, no web log-in etc. Needless to say these places are packed with laptop toting young folks whereas Starbucks is virtually empty half the time.

Starbucks in my neighborhood is the express venue for old farts who like to smoke their ciggies, and secretaries trying to hook whatever passes by in a suit. All the cool potential iPhone customers are at the other places.

No way I would pay a dime, not even sign up for a coffee card just to get wireless at Starbucks.

[maestrokev]

Originally Posted by Virgil-TB2

Yeah, and people are also forgetting this is only in the USA, and it's pretty backwards compared to other countries WiFi access.

Well I think this has a lot to do with lack of AT&T presence. You'd think Vancouver would have the same WiFi deal since it has the most Starbucks of any city, 238 in Greater Vancouver and 87 for just the city part (population 600,000)

[Unspeaked]

Originally Posted by ProstheticHead

I know this is a step in the right direction for Starbucks, however, it is still not enough. Here in the Pacific Northwest, we've got free wifi in every coffee shop you stop into, no strings attached. No hourly fees, no subscriptions, just ask for the password at the counter and you're online. Until Starbucks quits beating around the bush and just offers free wifi with no conditions, they're not going to see that great of an improvement in customer flow.

Well, it's not just the Pacific Northwest that's full of coffee shops offering free wifi, but almost anywhere I've been in the US, the free wifi is there only to appease the customer who've come in because the Starbucks next door has run out of seats!

Originally Posted by superfula

Reading comprehension is key
'it will give customers that use its Starbucks purchase card'

The key words are 'customers' and 'use'. If you just load a buck onto a gift card, neither words apply. If you use the gift card to purchase a drink, you get two free hours. Just having the card doesn't get you anything but a thicker wallet

That's a good point, but I think a lot of this will be tied into how they choose to restrict access.

Originally Posted by Rojo

There’s a LOT of confusion in this thread about cards and access time and so forth.
I think it’s just NOT clear enough from the little info that was given, and so we should probably wait until there’s more concise details.

Yes, this.

Originally Posted by aristobrat

T-Mobile prevents this by only allowing your account to be used from one computer at a time.

If another computer tried to logon to their HotSpot using your account, and there's already another computer logged in using your account, the second computer can't logon.

As the person you're replying to stated, this isn't like a T-Mobile hotspot account that's bought on an individual basis, entire families use AT&T broadband accounts, so it can't be a 1-login limit...