AT&T: Wi-Fi Network Usage Grows Fivefold To 53+ Million Connections
AT&T attributes the surge to the rise in smartphone usage. As customers turn to Wi-Fi enabled smartphones and devices, like iPhone and Android phones, they are increasingly relying on Wi-Fi hotspots to stay connected when they’re on the go.
At the end of the first quarter, the company reported that nearly 32 million AT&T customers had Wi-Fi access included with their smartphones, high speed internet and 3G LaptopConnect plans. And in the first quarter of 2010, 69 percent of Wi-Fi connections were made from smartphones and integrated devices, up from 35 percent a year ago in the first quarter of 2009.
AT&T also reported that the total number of AT&T broadband connections, which includes both wireline broadband and wireless LaptopConnect cards, grew by 278,000 in the first quarter to reach 17.5 million in service.
Yesterday, the communications giant reported a slight increase in revenue, as the company continued to add more wireless customers. AT&T added 1.9 million new wireless subscribers in the quarter, the biggest first-quarter gain in the company’s history. Of course, not everything is rosy with AT&T’s network; the 3G network in San Francisco and New York has been notoriously unreliable.