Having Internet access in coffee shops has become a staple of the modern tech user's way of life. Starbucks, one of Americas most popular locations to grab a cup of Joe, has provided free access to WiFi in its locations for quite some time now. Whether people are looking for a way to kill time in between meetings or a temporary office to set up shop in for the day, Starbucks is more than happy to accommodate customer's needs. Now, thanks to Google, it will be accommodating those needs even better.
Google will reportedly replace AT&T as the network WiFi provider for more than 7,000 Starbucks locations around the U.S. The process will take about 18 months and will begin at the start of August. Once the change is finished, Google has announced that Starbucks customers will see WiFi speeds that are up to ten times faster than the ones they are seeing today.
AT&T has been the official provider of WiFi to Starbucks for years. However, according to InformationWeekly, the service is shaky and often unreliable, an unacceptable feature for those who rely on Internet access at the coffee shops.
AT&T, when reached for comment by InformationWeekly, said "Starbucks continues to be an important customer for us and we continue to provide them with a variety of services over AT&T's advanced networks, including the nation's fastest, most reliable 4G LTE network."
It's unclear at this time how the company's customers will be affected by the change in wireless providers or why Starbucks decided to make the switch in the first place.
"While you'd have to ask Starbucks for any reasoning behind their decision, in our proposal we also offered up to 10 times faster network and WIFI speeds, so the decision must have been based on criteria other than speeds," AT&T said.
Google has recently announced a plan to provide free WiFi access to a number of parks in San Francisco. Google in Starbucks will also be free to use.
"Google has long invested in helping the Internet grow stronger, including projects to make Internet access speedier, more affordable and more widely available," said the company in a statement. "The free Internet connection at Starbucks has become an important part of many communities over the years, such as in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, or for students without Internet at home who do their work at Starbucks."
