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AnchorDesk

AnchorDesk Staff
Wireless network with my latte? No thanks

AnchorDesk Staff
ZDNet AnchorDesk
Wednesday, August 28, 2002
TalkBack!Add your opinion
T-Mobile made quite the splash last week with news that it's offering wireless Internet access in more than 1,200 Starbucks locations around the U.S. Eventually, that service will be available in close to 70 percent of the chain's outlets (which puts the total number of wired-for-wireless coffee shops at somewhere around .70 multiplied by a gazillion trillion million).

For $29.99 a month, the service gives you wireless broadband access at Starbucks outlets in the metropolitan area of your choice. The service is currently available in New York, San Francisco, Seattle, and 11 other metro areas. If you want to use the service in more than one city, you can either pay 15 cents a minute when you're out of your home region or $49.99 a month for national access.

THE MONTHLY FEE buys 500MB of data transfer--enough for most users. If you go over, you'll need to pony up another 25 cents per MB. There are other pricing plans, too, including prepaid time beginning at $20 for two hours, and a metered plan that'll cost you $2.99 for 15 minutes and 25 cents a minute after that.

To all of which I say: Who are they kidding? Who on earth is going to pay $30 a month--much less that absolutely absurd $50 for the national plan?

Sure, I might consider the metered plan if I was truly desperate--if I absolutely, positively needed to get an important e-mail, send a file, or (most importantly) check on my fantasy baseball team. In fact, I found myself in exactly that last situation a couple of weeks back in Seattle and used T-Mobile's service in a Starbucks near my hotel. But I don't think T-Mobile is expending all this effort to build a wireless network for people like me who'll drop the occasional $2.99. Who's going to spend the big bucks on this?

THE MOST LOGICAL answer is people traveling on business. But problem No. 1 with that premise is that, if you're traveling on business, you're not likely to have a lot of spare time to hang out in Starbucks, sipping and surfing. Plus, it's typically cheaper, and certainly more convenient, to get online in your hotel room--even if it means using dial-up.

Problem No. 2 is that those business travelers have all sorts of other alternatives for Net access. If you already have a wireless 802.11b network card, you have a decent shot at simply stumbling on a public hot spot that won't cost you a dime. There are myriad Web sites listing wireless LAN locations all over the U.S., and you can always just walk around with your notebook until you find yourself one--if you haven't tried this, you'll be shocked at just how many are out there.

In case you haven't been in a library lately, I have a secret for you: Most of them have Web access too--and (as any traveling student will be happy to tell you) that access is free. Of course, you'll most likely need to use one of the library's PCs instead of your own. Being cheap has its price.

OF COURSE, the other alternative is to use a wireless data device, such as T-Mobile's new Pocket PC Phone Edition or the company's upcoming Sidekick. Sure, these devices aren't as fast as 802.11b, and you'll still pay monthly fees. But you'll be able to use them anywhere there's T-Mobile coverage, you won't have to find your way to a hot spot, and your monthly fee gets you phone usage too.

Now if at some point T-Mobile offers a combo PDA/phone device and an 802.11b plan at a reasonable price, say $50 a month, then we might be talking. Until then, I'd recommend you save your money. Just think about how many lattes $29.99 would buy you.

What do you think? Would you pay $29.99 for wireless access at Starbucks? TalkBack to me!

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