Free Newsletter
Starbucks ditches T-Mobile's WiFi for AT&T's
Starbucks announced today that it has inked a deal for WiFi services with AT&T that will take effect this spring. The deal also marks an end to Starbucks six-year-old deal with T-Mobile USA for WiFi hotspots. The AT&T-Starbucks deal will bring coffee drinkers a mix of both paid and free WiFi service at the coffee company's more than 7,000 U.S. locations.
Starbucks said users of its Starbucks membership card will receive two hours of free wireless access each day, while subsequent two hour blocks will cost $3.99. The company also plans to offer monthly memberships at $19.99 that include access to any AT&T hotspot nationwide. Current AT&T hotspot subscribers will also have access to the service at Starbucks.
For more on the deal:
- read this press release
Comments (1) | Post a comment
Comments
Posted by Anonymous | February 11, 2008 - 6:15pm
I was surprised that it has taken this long for Starbucks to jettison T-Mobile for AT&T since the Apple iPhone/Starbucks relationship was announced. When you look into the innovative eMerchandising program Apple & Starbucks have built, you can see the prototype of how to monetize 'micro products' and services in a powerful way.
Hopefully, AT&T will invest the profits from this win to rush towards opening their network in real ways. I can not imagine Apple extending the 60 month exclusive with AT&T in North America, especially if the network remains locked in such a 1980s kind of way.
