You can get faster USENET speeds with your Venti as Google is giving WiFi systems inside Starbucks stores a big shot of network caffeine by bringing in new high-speed service, which promises to be 10 times faster than the existing AT&T systems it will replace.
The faster service will first appear in new Starbucks locations over the next month. Starbucks will then roll it out to its 7,000 other U.S. stores, starting with the busiest locations where Wi-Fi usage is highest. The company expects to complete the transition in about 18 months.
AT&T had provided Wi-Fi at Starbucks stores since 2008, but Google beat out the telecom giant when their contract expired.
AT&T also proposed a faster Wi-Fi proposal to Starbucks but lost out to Google.
The move toward faster Wi-Fi comes as mobile and PC users increasingly require faster connection speeds to do things like stream video, download large files and browse USENET newsgroups. Starbucks’ free Wi-Fi has long been popular among online users, with millions accessing the service each week.
The faster connection speed is likely to attract even more visitors, particularly as carriers move away from offering unlimited data plans for mobile devices.
Google has several projects nationwide aimed at making internet speeds faster, which translate into more searches, and therefore bigger advertising dollars.
