AT&T offering free WiFi to Laptop Connect and smartphone users?

According to the Boy Genius, it's not just iPhone users that will be getting / not getting the telco's WiFi on the house -- the company has plans to offer use of its hotspots for free to Laptop Connect and smartphone users. An internal memo from the provider appears to state that effective May 20th, anyone with a $60 or higher Laptop Connect plan will be able to take a ride on AT&T's networks in 17,000 locations, and the service will be extended to smartphone users later in the year. Of course, the company hasn't exactly wowed us with its rollout of this service for iPhone customers, so don't be surprised if nothing goes the way it's planned.

[fernando Posted May 21st 2008 12:04PM]

I'm guessing smartphones don't count unlocked ones with a pay-as-you-go sim, right? :P

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2008 1:00PM]

that's probably a very good guess.

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2008 1:37PM]

http://www.wireless.att.com/businesscenter/solutions/wireless-laptop/wifi-hotspots.jsp

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2008 1:22PM]

anyone with a att dsl service can use att hotspot free now. Using starbucks with my Nokia E51

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2008 3:47PM]

I don't understand why AT&T wouldn't want anyone with any data plan enabled on their account to not have free WIFI.

It has to be more expensive for AT&T to serve me webpages on my iPhone over EDGE than it would be for them to serve me webpages over Wifi if I was within range.

[(Unverified) Posted May 21st 2008 4:55PM]

Well, that's fantastic, AT&T can stop charging me for a service they are not providing.
(I really fail to see how it is legal for them to charge me twice to use my AT&T DSL in my house, and yet that's what they did ...)

[(Unverified) Posted May 22nd 2008 12:00PM]

Can't trus it...
ok, anyone else see the sublimal message here beyond the marketing banter?...WHY would AT&T offer crappy wifi service, free, to their aircard users unless they are using it as a COVERAGE SUPPLIMENT! (can you say t-mo redux)? Compare their multimegabit broadband coverage to Sprint's - it DOESN'T compare.

Anyone, who has used a Aircard from Sprint or Verizon, in most reasonable cases with rational non-fan-boy objective opinions, would attest that aircards used in hotspots are much faster (sustained speeds) than the wifi itself. I know it is counter intuitive, but those wifi spots suck. VPN clients are hit and miss, throughput is hit and miss, but the aircards always seem to be rock solid.

Don't believe the hype! Get up and get get down their mobile broadband is joke in yo town.