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AT&T Launches Major Wi-Fi Hotspot in New York City's Times Square


AT&T today announced that it is rolling out a large new Wi-Fi hotspot in New York City's busy Times Square, offering users of the company's congested cellular networks a new option for routing traffic in the area.

AT&T today announced the launch of an AT&T Wi-Fi "hotzone" in New York City's bustling Times Square, providing coverage for many AT&T customers visiting and residing in New York who use Wi-Fi enabled smartphones, laptops, netbooks and other devices. The new Wi-Fi coverage zone is a pilot deployment to explore the use of Wi-Fi to provide an additional mobile broadband option in areas with consistently high 3G traffic and mobile data use.

The press release notes that coverage is generally available in the north central portion of Times Square, near 7th Avenue between West 45th and West 47th Streets.

Access to the Wi-Fi hotspot is available free of charge to nearly 32 million AT&T customers with qualifying phone, laptop, or high-speed Internet plans.

With this pilot AT&T Wi-Fi hotzone, we're examining new ways to combine our Wi-Fi and 3G networks to help ensure that AT&T customers in Times Square always have a fast mobile broadband connection to do what matters most to them. It's another example of how AT&T is exploring the ideal blend of technologies to maximize the mobile experience for our customers in New York City.

AT&T has been making major investments in its network infrastructure, particularly in Manhattan and San Francisco where high demand has made it difficult for the carrier to keep up. Recent studies have shown that AT&T customers have been seeing generally improved data performance as a result of the company's efforts, but that voice performance continues to trail that of competing carriers.

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Posted: 26 months ago
Hopefully the wifi will be fast and not have some log in thing you have to use every time you get near the area.
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Posted: 26 months ago

Hopefully the wifi will be fast and not have some log in thing you have to use every time you get near the area.


agreed. those are a pain to deal with
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Posted: 26 months ago
Stupid question:

Can I only use this free Wi-Fi on my iPhone or can I use it on my laptop as well (being an AT&T customer)?
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
Posted: 26 months ago

Stupid question:

Can I only use this free Wi-Fi on my iPhone or can I use it on my laptop as well (being an AT&T customer)?


from what i have heard and seen at least in my area is any wireless device can connect. so yes you can use your laptop
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Posted: 26 months ago
I wonder what the star after the Starbucks means?

Maybe it means only select locations based on franchise owner discretion. I'll go look it up in the original...
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Posted: 26 months ago

I wonder what the star after the Starbucks means?

Maybe it means only select locations based on franchise owner discretion. I'll go look it up in the original...


The article they linked to doesn't even have that logo on the page, nor does it have the word "Starbucks." I know the Starbucks in my area are not free to AT&T customers.

Why the heck are you putting that logo on the story MacRumors? It has nothing to do with it.
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Posted: 26 months ago

The article they linked to doesn't even have that logo on the page, nor does it have the word "Starbucks." I know the Starbucks in my area are not free to AT&T customers.

Why the heck are you putting that logo on the story MacRumors? It has nothing to do with it.


I wonder what the star after the Starbucks means?

Maybe it means only select locations based on franchise owner discretion. I'll go look it up in the original...


It is actually an image from the AT&T wifi page. It is the second image of three in that box thing.

The * means= "Wi-Fi at Starbucks available at U.S. company-operated Starbucks locations equipped with a hotspot."
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Posted: 26 months ago
Our 3G network is not even close to what our advertisements :eek:are saying so lets just do a wifi thingy rite before the NEW iPhone is released :D
Rating: 0 Positives / 0 Negatives
Posted: 26 months ago

Our 3G network is not even close to what our advertisements :eek:are saying so lets just do a wifi thingy rite before the NEW iPhone is released :D


Not surprised...They provide this service at no additional cost and people complain or make cynical remarks anyway.
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Posted: 26 months ago

Our 3G network is not even close to what our advertisements :eek:are saying so lets just do a wifi thingy rite before the NEW iPhone is released :D


ok then dont use the wifi. o and new york is the only place with a prob cause of traffic. im pretty sure new york isnt the only place people live.
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