If you cannot beat 'em, join 'em. Some carriers see WiFi as a threat to their traditional telephony offerings. Others, accepting the inevitable, see WiFi as an opportunity to make money (whether they will make the same amount of money on monthly flat-fee packages as they did on per-minute plans remains to be seen). T-Mobile belongs in this second group. The company is unveiling a slew of WiFi offerings in the UK, aimed at both business people and consumers. Among these initiatives:
* The company has added WiFi minutes to its Business-1 Plan; company employees will be able to share minutes that the company purchased
* The company's un-metered plan, which currently costs £20 plus VAT, will be enhanced
* T-Mobile will soon unveil the details of two Web 'n' Walk plans featuring WiFi and 3G data cards
* The company is moving aggressively to increase its WiFi presence on rail: Last year T-Mobile equipped Southern Trains' London to Brighton route with WiFi and during the next eighteen months, it will expand its WiFi offerings to more rail commuters
For more on T-Mobile's WiFi strategy:
- see this ITPro report