As a perk to their customers with Wi-Fi enabled phones, AT&T will now provide free hotspot access to users at any of their 17,000 hotspot locations
AT&T Rewards Their Wi-Fi Phone Users
AT&T recently announced that phones like the BlackBerry Bold, the BlackBerry 8820, the Pearl 8120 and the Curve 8320 would all be able to enjoy free Wi-Fi connections at any of their 17,000 hotspot locations throughout the country. AT&T’s Wi-Fi hotspots are usually only accessible with a premium monthly subscription of $19.99, so BlackBerry Wi-Fi users will undoubtedly be very thankful for this freebie.
How Can I Access A Hotspot?
The way that this will work is, following the Bold release in a few days, Wi-Fi users at an AT&T hotspot like Starbucks will be able to enter in their phone’s area code and telephone number and will receive a text message which will link them to that locations hotspot for the next 24 hours.
Of course, all BlackBerry Wi-Fi enabled phones will also be able to enjoy Wi-Fi at any other location that offers free Wi-Fi as well. However, because AT&T has a hotspot in so many locations such as Starbucks, Barnes & Noble bookstore and several airports, that BlackBerry Wi-Fi users can now freely the Internet on their mobile devices in these locations is a nice touch. Being a Wi-Fi user does have its privileges, I guess.
Other Advantages of Wi-Fi
Purchasing a BlackBerry with Wi-Fi can also mean other perks such as preserving your phone’s battery life. By using a Wi-Fi connection, less drain affects your battery and allows for less strain on your carrier’s network. Wi-Fi can also offer faster connection, transmission and download speeds.
What If I Don't Have Wi-Fi?
For the rest of us BlackBerry users who aren’t on Wi-Fi yet, there is a way to still access free Wi-Fi at at least one AT&T hotspot…Starbucks! If you register a Starbucks gift card online and use it at least once every 30 days (and reloading it online counts as use), you can also access the AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot at any Starbucks location absolutely free. The only catch is that, of course, this is AT&T/Starbucks deal is only good for laptop use and who carries those things around anymore since we’ve discovered that BlackBerry really is a hiptop?
Free Wi-Fi on one of the largest hotspot networks in the country is yet another reason to go out and grab one of the new generation BlackBerry phones.