AT&T frees Wi-Fi for broadband customers: Carrier’s move comes amid municipal Wi-Fi troubles

AT&T Inc. is giving its 10 million broadband subscribers free access to its nationwide Wi-Fi network, the company announced. Previously, most subscribers were required to pay an additional $60 per year for access to the company’s 10,000 Wi-Fi hotspots at retail stories, restaurants and airports.
Wi-Fi has enjoyed remarkable success as a conduit to high-speed wireless Internet access in people’s homes and businesses; however, the technology has hit the skids as a public service provided by municipalities. Numerous plans to blanket areas with free Wi-Fi access have been scaled back or cut entirely. But, slow and steady, municipal Wi-Fi in some areas has morphed into “The Little Engine That Could.”
Indeed, after EarthLink Inc. and Google Inc. backed out of a plan to bring free, citywide Wi-Fi coverage to San Francisco’s more than 800,000 residents, a new model has emerged. Meraki Networks Inc. is employing a different approach to the project, which frees it from much of the red tape and political shenanigans that stymied the previous plan. By convincing residents to install low-power radio repeaters on their rooftops, balconies and windows, Meraki says it expects to have every San Francisco neighborhood up and running by mid-year.
$5 a month
AT&T couldn’t be reached immediately for comment on its plan to open up its hotspots to all broadband subscribers. And the company hasn’t released the number of subscribers who previously opted to pay the additional $5 a month for access to the Wi-Fi network, which AT&T claims is the largest in the country.
“Consumers today expect and demand a premier broadband experience – including a consistent, reliable connection no matter where they are,” said AT&T marketing executive Rick Welday. “And that’s exactly what we’re focused on. Our priority is to keep our customers connected. Period. Extending our Wi-Fi network supports this effort – and doing so for free combines even greater value with greater connectivity.”
The free Wi-Fi access, which was previously provided at no cost to higher-speed broadband subscribers, will now be available to subscribers who pay for broadband services with a minimum download speed of 1.5 Mbps.