Google Replaces AT&T as Wi-fi Provider for Starbucks Coffee Shops

AT&T provides sub-par telecom services, from spotty cell reception to snail-paced internet access. They suck and the world knows it.

Hence no tears were shed when Starbucks recently announced a new partnership with Google to replace AT&T as the wi-fi provider of choice.

According to an article by PCMag, “The eatery is ditching its current AT&T Wi-Fi setup for a partnership with Google. An 18-month rollout will begin in August, with all 7,000 company-operated U.S. Starbucks stores on track to get free Google wireless access.”

The numbers speak for themselves. Google’s free Wi-Fi will give you connection speeds 10 times faster than AT&T with a stunning 100x improvement in cities where Google Fiber is installed. Starbucks has invested heavily to become the preeminent internet provider for public spaces by doling out free access to the web in all of their US shops. Google has made an impressive transition from being simply a search engine to making it their mission to provide internet access to the world.

As an iPhone app developer in San Francisco and coffee shop aficionado, Google becoming the Wi-Fi provider of choice is a breathe of fresh air. For far too long consumers have been stuck with 3rd world internet speeds provided by telecom giants that stifled competition and under invested in infrastructure. Any iPad app developer working out of Starbucks at this very moment will complain about AT&T’s slow and inconsistent internet connection. Now Google is disrupting the telecom industry and has entrenched players running scared. No one will miss AT&T, Comcast, or Verizon when Google Fiber comes to town.