May 08, 2008, 8:53 PM — Only hours after posting information that indicated iPhone owners would receive
free access to AT&T's public wireless hotspots, the company pulled all references
to the service from its Web site.
By 5 p.m. EDT Thursday, the page dedicated to AT&T's subscriber plans for
Apple's iPhone has been stripped of all mention of Wi-Fi hotspot access.
Earlier in the day, the AT&T site noted that "Access to AT&T Wi-Fi
hot spots" was included in all iPhone subscriber plans, with additional
details that spelled out the extent of that access. "Unlimited Data (e-mail
and Web), 200 SMS text messages and access to AT&T's more than 17,000 Wi-Fi
hot spots, including Starbucks* all for use in the U.S. *Wi-Fi available at
U.S. company operated Starbucks locations equipped with a hot spot [emphasis
added]."
Hours later, all of that WiFi info had been scrubbed from the site.
An AT&T customer service representative was unable to explain the change
during a 15-minute telephone conversation, during which he repeatedly left the
line to query his manager.
The removal of references to free WiFi is sure to confuse iPhone users and
potential customers even more. On May 1, iPhone users discovered that they could
use AT&T's wireless access points in Starbucks coffee shops and other locations,
including some Barnes & Noble bookstores, by entering their iPhone telephone
number.
Within 24 hours, however, AT&T had turned off the free access; users reported
that they were being asked to enter a username and password to access hotspots
they had used for free the day before.
Earlier today, AT&T spokesman Mark Siegel issued a blanket "no comment"
when asked about the Wi-Fi information on his company's iPhone page.
AT&T is Apple's exclusive network partner in the U.S., and in exchange
for handling all iPhone accounts, shares subscriber revenues with the Cupertino,
Calif. computer and consumer electronics maker.
