Posted by: Joan Marsh on September 8, 2010 at 2:41 pm
Last month, Chicago’s Wrigleyville became the summer’s hottest hotspot. Not because of the swinging bats of the Chicago Cubs. And not because of the cool crowds gathering at Murphy’s Bleachers or the Cubby Bear. On August 4, AT&T launched the Wrigleyville hotzone – a Wi-Fi installation in the shadow of Wrigley Field designed to enhance the AT&T wireless data experience in Wrigleyville.
The Wrigleyville hotzone is just one example of AT&T’s use of Wi-Fi to provide our customers with additional options for high speed data connectivity. With more than 20,000 branded and operated U.S. Wi-Fi hotspots, AT&T has the nation’s largest Wi-Fi network, covering popular venues like restaurants, bookstores, hotels and airports. Our Wi-Fi hotzone installations – including one in NYC’s Times Square, launched in May, and another in downtown Charlotte, N.C., launched in July – are now expanding that footprint.
The reason for these investments is clear: customer demand for Wi-Fi is growing, shown by an exponential increase in Wi-Fi connections on our network. We had 68.1 million connections on our network in the second quarter of 2010 alone, up more than 300% from the 15 million connections made in the same quarter last year. And customers have already made 121.2 million connections in the first half of 2010, far surpassing the 85.5 million connections made in all of 2009.
As these stats make clear, Wi-Fi is becoming an important part of AT&T’s strategy to address the ever-growing volume of broadband data traffic traversing our networks. Ninety-nine percent of our smartphones come equipped with Wi-Fi technology, making Wi-Fi a reliable, high-speed way to manage e-mail, run apps and view videos. In addition, many of our smartphones move seamlessly between our 3G network and available Wi-Fi hotspots, creating a smooth and easy transition for the customer.
And to encourage greater use of our hotspots, Wi-Fi data usage does not count toward our customers’ smartphone data plans. For customers who need help connecting to AT&T Wi-Fi, we offer a comprehensive educational tool designed to provide our customers with all the information they need to identify and access Wi-Fi hotspots on their device of choice.
So, the next time you are in Wrigleyville and you feel nostalgic for Eddie Vedder’s Tribute to the Cubs, fear not. Connect to the AT&T Wrigleyville Wi-Fi hotzone and enjoy!
