After reporting earnings last week, AT&T is announcing an impressive number of Wi-Fi connections made over the third quarter. Via AT&T devices, users made 301.9 million Wi-Fi connections, which is more than 37 connections every second.
Connections nearly tripled (up more than 282 percent) versus connections made in the third-quarter 2010.
AT&T saus that its users now make 100 million Wi-Fi connections per month with connections made in a single month now exceeding the total connections made in all of 2009 (and account for five times the total connections made in 2008). Data carried on the AT&T Wi-Fi network more than doubled versus the third-quarter 2010.
AT&T, which offers 29,000 Wi-Fi Hot Spots in the U.S., says that most of its smartphone customers get access to the carrier’s Wi-Fi network at no additional cost as part of their plan, and Wi-Fi doesn’t count toward customers’ monthly wireless data usage.
The number of hotspots has also increased, says the telecommunications company, especially at stadium and hospitality locations. The number of AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots at hotels has quadrupled in 2011, and hotel locations account for approximately 40 percent of the total AT&T Wi-Fi network traffic. In the third quarter, AT&T also launched Wi-Fi in a number of New York City Park. And AT&T’s acquisition of Superclick should help expand AT&t Wi-Fi services in the hospitality industry.