Starbucks customers can now catch up on the office buzz while enjoying a caffeine buzz.
The Seattle-based coffeehouse launched a cutting-edge wireless Internet service Wednesday at 20 outlets across Central Florida.
The high-tech venture, called T-Mobile HotSpots, features high-speed, wireless connections to corporate and home networks for e-mail, Web surfing and downloading video and audio.
Available at more than 2,100 Starbucks outlets in 15 states, the HotSpot service offers a comfortable setting for Web access between meetings, sales calls and classes.
“It should appeal to a variety of people, like teens and students, along with mobile businesspeople away from the office,” said Ted Firios, Starbucks district manager in Orlando.
“A real estate agent can sit down over coffee with a client and pull up new listings on a laptop or PDA.”
On launch day, usage appeared to be light at several local Starbucks outlets. There were posters describing the service, but customers busied themselves sipping coffee, playing checkers and doing crosswords.
“Since the launch was today, we don’t have a strong read yet on the number of people who are taking advantage of the service, but we expect that it will be successful,” Starbucks spokesman Brady Brewer said.
The wireless technology, known as Wi-Fi or 802.11, is far from a Starbucks exclusive. Across the country, it’s showing up in public spaces such as offices, hotels, airports and coffee shops.
IBM, AT&T; and Intel also have said they were planning to set up Wi-Fi access points in 50 of the country’s largest markets.
By 2007, there will be 5.37 million users of public Wi-Fi hot spots in North America, up from 30,000 this year, according to the Yankee Group, a technology tracking company.
Even previously low-tech spots, such as The Loop Pizza and Grill in Maitland, offer Wi-Fi access.
“It’s cool,” general manager Mark Coleman said. “Sometimes we see a half-dozen people online at lunch with their laptops. Others use it for business meetings.”
Other local Wi-Fi connections can be found on the University of Central Florida campus. “Most of the campus buildings now have wireless access points, and we’ve been moving in that direction for about a year,” UCF spokesman Jerry Klein said.
In addition, Wi-Fi access points can be set up as needed at Walt Disney World resort hotels with convention facilities, spokesman David Brady said.
An industry analyst said the wireless service may not be a big moneymaker for Starbucks but will still be beneficial.
“The prime value is giving Starbucks’ customers a reason to come into stores after 10a.m., before which each store does the lion’s share of a day’s business,” Forrester analyst Charles Golvin said. “An additional value may be Starbucks’ ability to tap high-speed data for management and transaction purposes.”
For consumers, the wireless venture is about lifestyle and work-style convenience, said John Stautner, vice president, technology and new markets for the HP mobility program office. HP partnered with Starbucks and T-Mobile in the wireless venture.
“People want to take care of concerns wherever they are, with no time and space boundaries,” he said.
To go online, a user needs a laptop or PDA equipped with Wi-Fi 802.11 wireless capability, which is built into many new machines. It can also be added via small plug-in devices costing about $100.
Starbucks users can pay either $2.99 for 15 minutes of access or purchase a $29.99 unlimited access monthly plan for a local market. Frequent travelers can get unlimited national access for $49.99 a month.
“This isn’t our core business, but we do have a high-tech customer base,” said Anne Saunders, Starbucks Interactive vice president.
“We have seen many people conducting business meetings in our stores. In Boston, a group of people doing a start-up business located in a Starbucks instead of renting office space.”
