It’s no secret that AT&T’s coverage in NYC has been called out as being unreliable in the past. Now the company is apparently doing something about it with the launch of a pilot program that will bring free Wi-Fi to AT&T wireless and broadband customers. According to AT&T, users of smartphones, laptops, iPad's and other Wi-Fi enabled devices will enjoy free Wi-Fi access via the company’s “hotzone” on the north side of Times Square on 7th Avenue between 45th and 47th streets.
Anyone with an AT&T 3G smartphone with Wi-Fi enabled with have their device automatically connect to the giant hotspot. AT&T says that it’s offering the “hotzone” to test new ways of combining its Wi-Fi and 3G networks to ensure that its customers have a fast mobile broadband connection. Although it’s simply a pilot project, AT&T has said it will consider deploying free Wi-Fi to other busy locations across the US if all goes well in Times Square, NYC.
AT&T says that it’s offering the “hotzone” to test new ways of combining its Wi-Fi and 3G networks to ensure that its customers have a fast mobile broadband connection. AT&T says that if it’s successful, you may see more “hotzones” in Manhattan and other parts of the country.
This is a great new strategy by AT&T, though we are not sure what it costs the company to put together a “hotzone”, but surely it’s a lot cheaper for AT&T to route data requests over Wi-Fi instead of its 3G network. Considering it is a seamless experience for the users, be mindful that you will be connected to a "public Wi-Fi network" without any prompts.
Speaking of connecting without logging in, you can bet that a number of individuals will setup free wireless access points around the area in hopes of luring some unsuspecting users into connecting up to their free wireless access. At that point the key logging begins and the rest is identity theft history.
Aside from the possible scam scenarios, let's see how this strategy pans out for AT&T.
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