Starbucks dumps T-Mobile in favor of AT&T
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Starbucks has upgraded its Wi-Fi offering from a tall to a venti, switching partners from T-Mobile USA to AT&amp;T in a deal that will mean free coffee-shop wireless for millions of U.S. broadband subscribers.The chain&#39;s network of hotspots, the best-known in the U.S., covers more than 7,000 company-owned stores. Users of AT&amp;T Broadband and U-verse DSL (Digital Subscriber Line) services will get free access to the networks, and the carrier will soon extend benefits to AT&amp;T Wireless customers as well, according to a news release. AT&amp;T business customers with remote-access subscriptions will be able to buy unlimited, flat-rate access at any Starbucks location.AT&amp;T had 14.2 million lines of DSL in service at the end of last year. Its wireless arm has about 70 million subscribers. T-Mobile, a subsidiary of Germany&#39;s Deutsche Telekom, said it had 28.7 million subscribers at year&#39;s end.Although 3G (third-generation) cellular networks are nearing typical wired broadband speeds, Wi-Fi hotspots in key locations such as airports, hotels and cafes remain an attractive option for people who need high-speed connectivity on the road. T-Mobile has provided the Starbucks networks as part of its national hotspot service for several years, with a variety of paid plans including US$6 for one hour, $9.99 for a day and $29.99 per month with an annual agreement. Prices under AT&amp;T will be slightly lower, including $3.99 for two hours and $19.99 per month.But the deal also opens up a whole new customer base for the hotspots: Starbucks customers with an active Starbucks stored-value card will get two hours of free access per day. All that&#39;s needed to keep a card active is to have money stored on it and to buy something with it at least once a month, said Starbucks spokeswoman Bridget Baker. Starbucks employees will also get free access.AT&amp;T will take over the networks market by market, starting in the next few months and finishing by the end of the year, the companies said. Under a roaming agreement to be implemented by March 31, T-Mobile subscribers will also be able to use the AT&amp;T Starbucks networks, Baker said.The deal significantly expands AT&amp;T&#39;s network of hotspots, giving it 17,000 U.S. sites (about 70,000 worldwide) and adding a popular Web-surfing location to its lineup, which today includes McDonald&#39;s restaurants, Barnes &amp; Noble bookstores and some hotels and airports. It builds on an existing relationship in which AT&amp;T has provided back-end networks for Starbucks stores for more than 10 years, Baker said. The carrier will provide Starbucks an enterprise-class network with increased bandwidth and redundancy, according to the release.The prospect of high-speed access at Starbucks should help AT&amp;T attract new DSL customers and hold onto existing ones, telecommunications analyst Jeff Kagan wrote in a commentary on the deal.&quot;The customer wins because they get to take advantage of money saving bundles, and AT&amp;T win&#39;s because it keeps customers happy which means hanging on to the customer in an increasingly competitive marketplace, and Starbucks win&#39;s because it expands their digital entertainment platform and gives customers more reasons to spend time in the stores,&quot; Kagan wrote.
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Federal regulators approved the $41 billion purchase of AT&amp;T Wireless by Cingular Wireless, a crucial step in a merger that will create the nation&#39;s largest cellphone company.
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Electronics superstore drops T-Mobile wireless service to make room.
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Shares drop 4% after the bell as retailer posts single-digit growth for first time in nine months. SEATTLE  - Starbucks Corp.
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AT&amp;T Corp. (TN: Quote, Profile, Research) will cut another 7,400 jobs and reduce the value of its assets by $11.4 billion, spurred by its retreat from traditional consumer
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Rogers Communications Inc. says it will pay AT&amp;T Wireless $1.77 billion for the 34 per cent stake in Rogers Wireless that the Toronto media and cable TV company doesn&#39;t already own.
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Cingular Wireless will drop the AT&amp;T brand six months after it acquires Redmond-based AT&amp;T Wireless Services Inc., the telecommunications companies announced Monday.
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AT&amp;T (T) is teaming with America's big cable TV operators to offer phone service over their broadband Internet lines, marking the telecom giant's first big move since it announced plans to abandon its traditional consumer long-distance business.
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T-Mobile won the bid at the last minute from Europe's largest mobile operator, Vodafone.
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NEW YORK, October 26  - Cingular Wireless has completed its previously announced merger deal with AT&amp;T Wireless Services Inc (AWE.
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With the stock plummeting and competitors on the attack, Starbucks Coffee said Monday that it was bringing back its top barista to help turn the company around.
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U.S. antitrust authorities on Monday  approved Cingular Wireless' plan to acquire rival AT&T Wireless  Services Inc. for $41 billion in cash, creating the nation's  biggest wireless carrier.
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US antitrust authorities on Monday approved Cingular Wireless&#39; plan to acquire rival AT&amp;T Wireless Services Inc. (AWE.N: Quote, Profile, Research) for $41 billion in cash, creating the nation&#39;s biggest wireless carrier.
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AT&amp;T Corp. gets taken over by its former Baby Bell spinoff, SBC Communications Inc. Gillette Co. is devoured by consumer products giant Procter &amp; Gamble Co.
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The largest U.S. mobile service  provider AT&T Inc  and smaller rival T-Mobile USA revealed  new handsets on Monday to attract a growing number of consumers  who like to send e-mails or text messages.
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AT&amp;T Wireless has inched ever so closer to shedding its stake in Rogers Wireless. The carrier has reached a tentative agreement with partner Rogers Communications to sell its 34 percent stake.
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The Federal Communications Commission has approved the $41 billion merger of Atlanta-based Cingular Wireless and AT&amp;T Wireless Services Inc.