iPhone Wi-Fi Redux: AT&T & Boingo?

By Casey Chan
last updated

Let's do some catching up. First, iPhone users had free AT&T Wi-Fi at their hotspots. Then we lost it. Then it popped back up. Then it disappeared. And now we're going to get it...eventually? If and when they do decide to officially give free Wi-Fi to iPhone users (June, perhaps?), I will be the first to commend them.

Now Boingo, in a newsletter to customers, goes and announces free Wi-Fi for iPhone users, albeit with an asterisk. That asterisk being: watch a 15 second advertisement for 15 minutes of free wi-fi in selected airports. Boingo is also encroaching on AT&T territory by offering Wi-Fi services at Starbucks locations. This piece of news isn't as cheery for iPhone users because well, we have to pay.

Since there are around a gazillion Starbucks around the country, I'm sure Boingo Wi-Fi and AT&T Wi-Fi would work just fine. But would AT&T work out a roaming-esque deal with Boingo to provide free Wi-Fi for their iPhone customers at Boingo-specific locations?

Now THAT would be customer service (since it is AT&T, I guess we can rule that out).

Casey Chan
2 Comments
  • We're not encroaching or replacing AT&T in Starbucks; they are a great partner of ours in our Boingo Roaming Network.
    As a Boingo user, you will have access to all Starbucks through our relationship with AT&T.
  • I have an inkling that at&t is going forward with the original free wifi plan when the next iPhone does get released. Even if there is a 15 second ad, I wouldn't mind if it meant an hour or more of free internet.