AT&T announced a new WiFi agreement with retailer Barnes & Noble to offer free WiFi to all of the store's shoppers, not just AT&T customers. The deal also includes an ebook component whereby WiFi users, along with iPhone and BlackBerry users, will be able to access 700,000 Barnes & Noble ebooks.
The news comes as AT&T announced a jump in WiFi usage in the second quarter. The carrier said it handled nearly 15 million WiFi connections on its network, a 41 percent increase over the first quarter. AT&T said 49 percent of the total connections were made by integrated devices. This is an increase of 41 percent over the first quarter 2009--a significant shift that tracks with the growth of WiFi-enabled devices, AT&T said.
Since the beginning of the year, AT&T said it quadrupled its WiFi network authentication capacity in preparation for increased sessions, the ongoing rise in consumer demand for WiFi and to ensure reliable performance on the network.
For more:
- check out this release [1]
- read this release [2]
Related articles:
WiFi takes a seat [3] at the cellular table
AT&T WiFi [4] Supports Auto-Authentication on New iPhone OS 3.0 for Faster Hotspot Connections
Starbucks ditches T-Mobile's WiFi [5] for AT&T's
Links:
[1] http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/barnes-noble-stores-nationwide-offer-complimentary-t-wi-fi
[2] http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/t-sees-significant-rise-wi-fi-hotspot-connections-during-second-quarter-0
[3] http://www.fiercebroadbandwireless.com/story/wifi-takes-seat-cellular-table/2009-07-24
[4] http://www.fiercewireless.com/press-releases/t-wi-fi-supports-auto-authentication-new-iphone-os-3-0-faster-hot-spot-connections
[5] http://www.fiercewireless.com/story/starbucks-ditches-t-mobile-s-wifi-for-att-s/2008-02-11