Residents of Chitown can now express their sorrows on Twitter when the Cubs lose, as AT&T has lit up an outdoor WiFi zone which covers the Wrigley Field area.
Following its successful WiFi hotspot in New York’s Times Square, the Chicago zone is another attempt by the second-largest U.S. carrier to augment its 3G network. AT&T said this provides WiFi coverage on the south, east and west sides of the stadium, which also includes multiple shops and restaurants.
“Whether it’s fans buying game tickets online, or Wrigleyville visitors sending pictures and videos to friends, many AT&T customers will benefit from this new broadband option,” said Paul La Schiazza, president, AT&T Illinois. “The AT&T WiFi hotzone in Wrigleyville is another example of how AT&T is continuing to bring new technologies to Chicago to maximize AT&T customers’ wireless and broadband experience.”
This is just the latest attempt by AT&T to encourage WiFi usage and the carrier has seen a strong response. AT&T said it has already made 121.2 million WiFi connections in the first half of the year, which already exceeds the 85.5 million WiFi connection it made all of last year.
One of the biggest reasons it is seeing increased WiFi connections is that the mobile operator is powering the hotspots at Starbucks. This used to be a service that it charged for, but the carrier recently made this free across the nation and I know that I’ve taken advantage plenty of times.
People are also carrying a plethora of devices with WiFi capabilities now, as nearly every major smartphone has this option in it. Heck, I was shocked when the BlackBerry Tour hit Verizon and Sprint without WiFi last year, so I don’t think we’ll see any high-profile devices without this feature in the future.
Cheap Cubs shot aside, what do you guys think of the carrier lighting up this hotspot? Would you rather it focused on improving 3G or is this a good compromise?
