AT&T and Starbucks officially begin WiFi rollout

Remember that WiFi pact brewed up between AT&T and Starbucks earlier this year? How could you forget, right? As if it wasn't official enough already, 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. Unfortunately, we're not given any real insight into what kinds of potential deals are in the works for AT&T wireless customers (if any at all), but here's to hoping you all can get a little love, too.

[GreezyG @ Apr 25th 2008 1:02PM]

I live in Austin, TX. There is free wi-fi EVERYWHERE.
I can go into almost any restraunt and fast food joint and get free internet. Is this the same with yall from the rest of the country or are we blessed here? I have never had to pay at starbucks or anything.

[Spencer @ Apr 25th 2008 1:09PM]

I was wondering the same thing. McDonald's provides free wi-fi. Why pay for expensive coffee and Internet access too ?

[Ryan Trevisol @ Apr 25th 2008 1:50PM]

all the McDonalds around me (South Florida) are on ATT Wifi. Now, I have the highest DSL package they offer, but I would have to pay for ATT Wifi. So I'm wondering if it's only going to be in Starbucks locations (fine with me, I go to starbucks far more often than McDonalds), or will it be all ATT Wifi locations?

[Adrian Williams @ Apr 25th 2008 2:02PM]

@ Ryan
you should call them cause if you have their fastest speed you should not have to pay
and it will be all Mc Donalds and Starbucks

[Wonderkid @ Apr 25th 2008 1:13PM]

What the goddam hell are these stupid idiots running these branded coffee shops and other places going to realise that paying £15 a month for an HSDPA modem that allows us to get online anywhere (at any time) is a lot better value that £5 an hour on a not always guaranteed connection that may or may not be secure in a fixed location?

WiFi is dead outside the home (for now), and all these people who keep demanding WiFi on their mobile phones should realise that what makes a mobile phone so useful is that it works anywhere. Well, if mobile broadband is to become truly MOBILE, then HSDPA (3.5G) is the way forward. The only reason Starbucks and AT&T are rolling out WiFi is to lock people into the iPhone's garden wall and have them buy the odd tune they hear while supping a Latté. And it is this total lack of openess that is the issue here. People are not stupid - anymore. My EEE PC + Vodafone HSDPA USB stick works anywhere here in the UK - and the speed is good enough to watch YouTube videos too. Join or die - POTS telcos - and Apple. Else it will be Android powered open source 3.5/4G phones that will rule the day. (No bad thing of course!)

[arthur barnhouse @ Apr 25th 2008 1:30PM]

15 pounds a month is, roughly, $30 US. Plus the $40 dongle. This in addition to the $50 a month I pay for the top tier internet at my home? I would rather use a wifi hotspot than pay an extra $360 a month. Plus, I would qualify for this program.

That's it. It's not some holy war. When HSDPA and home costs the same as what I pay now, I'll buy it.

[Randy @ Apr 25th 2008 2:07PM]

I demand Wifi on my phone. As long as the wireless carriers want to meter me and Nickel and Dime me to death for data, then I will continue want wifi on my phone.

[Scott Beckstead @ Apr 25th 2008 5:23PM]

Actually the iTunes store is free to connect at all Starbucks currently. So you don't need to pay for anything just to buy the odd tune. Beyond that everything you said has no meaning. I mean it was unclear what you meant, that is to say what?

[Berklie @ Apr 25th 2008 11:25PM]

Wow, way off of the mark.

Why do I demand WiFi on my phone? Simple, when I'm traveling abroad in recent places like Beijing and Buenos Aires... I can jump on any WiFi network and conduct personal/business dealings (e-mail, internet) for free. Duh.

[AlphaTeam @ Apr 26th 2008 7:10PM]

Based on current technology the latency on a 3G network is still far higher than a typical broadband connection; I'm not willing to forgo low latency for ease.

[paul_onxo @ Apr 25th 2008 1:21PM]

I was at a Starbucks in San Marino, CA. I had gotten T-Mobile access through the G1G1 program. To my surprise when I logged in with my iPhone, I was greeted with the AT&T page, not the T-Mobile Hotspot.

The changeover was quicker than I expected, especially for Southern California. It worked great. I have DSL through AT&T so getting access was not an issue.

[mike @ Apr 25th 2008 1:27PM]

What about iPhones?

[mike @ Apr 25th 2008 1:28PM]

Will iPhone users get free wifi?

[Onetruebill @ Apr 25th 2008 2:51PM]

iphone users will not get free wifi...
They will however get access to special sections of hell.
Also, all of your worldly goods will be made to fit in a manilla envelope.
But at least you will be charged extra, so it's not all bad.

onetrue(plainphoneuser)bill

[mhaney @ Apr 25th 2008 1:29PM]

If you spend more than 2 hours a day in Starbucks than you deserve what you get.

[Galley @ Apr 25th 2008 3:32PM]

Diablo Cody wrote the screenplay to "Juno" in a Target Starbucks, and she got an Oscar!

[brandon_r87 : Brawl : 4897-5857-5091 @ Apr 25th 2008 4:51PM]

And Juno was a great movie, so that doesn't contradict what he said. She deserved what she got.

[AlphaTeam @ Apr 26th 2008 7:12PM]

Starbucks is a nice place to enjoy some drinks and snacks with friends. It's likes spending a few hours eating at a good restaurant. If you haven't spent good times at a good restaurant, time to stop browsing Engadget and start making money!

[Darryl Yee @ Apr 25th 2008 1:31PM]

it started already: yesterday I was at my regular starbucks in san diego (on top gun & mira mesa bl) and my iphone offered 'attwifi' as an option. I have att dsl and logged in with my account info just fine.

[crow610 @ Apr 25th 2008 2:50PM]

haha....you mean Manilla Mesa

[Andrew @ Apr 25th 2008 1:54PM]

IIRC the big push with the Starbucks change to AT&T was to enable iPhone users to instantly purchase the music being played in the store. I'm not so sure about full access for free though. Here in Chicago every hot dog joint has wifi. Caribou Coffee does it for free so that's where I get my Mocha.

[Wonderkid @ Apr 25th 2008 1:56PM]

@Arthur barnhouse: a) My HSDPA modem was free on contract. b) Am sure that if such a service was rolled our stateside, the price would be $ equiv, IE, around $15 a month. c) I am also considering doing something else fairly revolutionary, I am switching my £35 a month (750 mins, 250 texts) contract to Pay As You Go. Going to use Skype on the EEE PC to make outgoing calls, incoming on my mobile. So, I get all my voice and data for £15 a month. Not so shabby really. I have tried Skype plus Video on EEE PC on the HSDPA dongle and it works brilliantly, Skype Out too. Soon as the providers allow unlimited data (with modem via Bluetooth), then I'll dump the HSDPA card, re-start a phone contract and use the phone as a modem for web surfing on the laptop. But will the greedy telcos every do that? Hmmm. (I know the iPhone provides unlimited data, but you cannot use it as a modem.) We're being controlled! Time to escape!

[Dan Davis @ Apr 25th 2008 1:59PM]

"brewed up"?

Oh Engadget, you never fail to make me smile.

[Chris @ Apr 25th 2008 2:54PM]

Anyone wanna guess when AT&T will officially rule the world?

[Terpy @ Apr 25th 2008 4:06PM]

Screw Starbucks, when will I be seeing this at Tim Hortons, eh?

[Scott Beckstead @ Apr 25th 2008 7:43PM]

The same day you get free beer, tomorrow!

[Terpy @ Apr 25th 2008 5:44PM]

mmmmmmm, beer.....

[Mark @ Apr 25th 2008 4:18PM]

hmmm. this is like a super-villian tag team.

[Silver @ Apr 25th 2008 6:45PM]

It's even hit Canada but they've teamed up with Bell. Off to Blenz I go for coffee and free wireless.

[Scott Beckstead @ Apr 25th 2008 7:45PM]

Since my Home is very close to the Starbucks, I just added a cantenna and I get free (well sort of) wireless.

[josh @ Apr 26th 2008 11:51AM]

Remember..... ANYONE with a registered starbucks giftcard will get free WiFi access...

[AlphaTeam @ Apr 26th 2008 7:13PM]

Just 2 hours a day, but a lot nonetheless.

[Shahryar @ Apr 26th 2008 3:41PM]

damn. I like the perk of access to free Tmobile hotspots with my $20 a month internet plan for my tmobile account. now with starbucks having AT&T, guess that'll be one less place I can use it.

[AlphaTeam @ Apr 26th 2008 7:08PM]

I believe AT&T and T-Mobile have an agreement to keep allowing HotSpot members to use Starbucks.

[Shahryar @ Apr 28th 2008 4:13PM]

Oh thanks Alpha Team

[Maggard @ Apr 26th 2008 7:12PM]

T-Mobile continues to operate most of the Starbucks hotspots, and will continue to do so for some time. What has changed is the hotspot management, which is shifting over to AT&T. However T-Mobile users & devices (Talk Unlimited phones, WiFi digicams with T-Mobile access, etc.) are grandfathered for five years; which is longer then nearly any WiFi device folks are now using will still be used. So for all intents & purposes nothing has changed except AT&T customers can now share the WiFi too.