McDonald's to Offer Free Wi-Fi in January 2010
December 17, 2009 10:11 AM | Services | Comments (0)
| McDonald’s begin offering free wireless Internet via access Wi-Fi at its U.S. restaurants next month. Starting in mid-January, McDonalds will eliminate the current $2.95 fee it charges for two hours of Internet access at 11,000 of its 14,000 U.S. locations. With the free Wi-Fi there will be no time limit. The free Wi-Fi is a partnership with AT&T. McDonalds hope is that with the free Wi-Fi more customers will stay in the restaurants between meals and buy McCafe coffee drinks and the new line of frappes and smoothies. Additionally, McDonalds wants their restaurants to feel more like a "hang out spot" instead of just a hamburger joint. AT&T claims its public Wi-Fi access points have been used more than 51 million times in 2009, which is more than double the number of connections made in all of 2008. McDonald's decision to offer free wireless Internet access could be a strategy to compete with Starbucks and other coffee chains. |  |
