Starbucks Teams Up With AT&T To Provide Wireless Access at Shops

SEATTLE — Starbucks Corp. and AT&T Inc. will start offering a mix of free and paid wireless Internet service in most of the global coffee retailer's American shops, beginning this spring.

The move announced yesterday ends a six-year Starbucks partnership with T-Mobile, which did not include free Wi-Fi and charged higher fees than AT&T will. Starbucks said it will give customers who use a Starbucks purchase card two hours of free wireless access per day. More time than that will cost $3.99 for a two-hour session. Monthly memberships will cost $19.99 and include access to any of AT&T's hot spots worldwide.

Nearly all of AT&T's broadband Internet customers, about 12 million, will automatically have unlimited free Wi-Fi access at Starbucks, the companies said.

The deal boosts the number of AT&T hotspots in America to 17,000 — the most in the nation. "We're very excited about what we're doing together to align ourselves with what consumers want," a chief marketing officer for AT&T's consumer business Rick Welday, said.

Starbucks' switch to AT&T is a big blow for T-Mobile, which has nearly 8,900 wireless hot spots in America, most of them in the coffee company's stores. T-Mobile also offers its subscription wireless service in Borders Books and Music stores, FedEx Kinko's stores, various hotels, airports, and airline clubs.