AT&T launched a Wi-Fi hotspot pilot program to test the ability to offload 3G traffic in busy locations — starting with one of the busiest, New York City’s Times Square. AT&T installed Wi-Fi service in the north central part of Times Square, near Seventh Avenue between 45th and 47th Street, available at no additional charge to almost 32 million AT&T customers with qualifying smartphone, 3G LaptopConnect and AT&T High Speed Internet plans. Based on the results from the pilot location, AT&T may deploy additional hotspots in other areas across the country where more ubiquitous Wi-Fi availability may be beneficial for customers.
The Wall Street Journal had some additional reporting:
The trial is aimed at easing the load of data traffic from the iPhone and other devices that are bogging down AT&T’s network in dense cities like New York and San Francisco. When in range of the hot spot, AT&T phones, like the iPhone, will automatically switch over to Wi-Fi instead of using the slower 3G cellular network.
“It’s a very large data off-load in a venue where traditionally data would go over our old voice and data network,” says Mike Maus, who oversees AT&T’s New York network.
Connected Planet’s take,
Kevin Fitchard:
AT&T has always used mobile data offload as a side benefit of its hotspot network, but this is the first evidence that AT&T might start planting hotspots specifically to target smartphone and other 3G device traffic. AT&T, like other hotspot providers, typically puts Wi-Fi access points in cafes, restaurants and airports, where people sit down with their laptops. Times Square, though, is the mother of all high-traffic pedestrian zones. There’s no sipping coffee and reading the Times online there. More like disoriented tourists Google Mapping directions to MOMA.
Taken with its Microcell femto strategy, we’re starting to see parallel networks emerging designed to spare valuable capacity on the 3G network. I don’t expect AT&T to revisit the metro Wi-Fi projects that failed to gain traction a few years ago, but we might see something very similar in places like Manhattan, downtown San Francisco and Chicago, and even local town squares in much smaller cities. Its 3G network gives it plenty of coverage outdoors, but Wi-Fi hotspots at every public plaza, busy pedestrian intersection and subway stop is a likely possibility.
It’s not to hard to imagine a network architecture where the vast majority of 3G device data actually passes over local area and femto networks. The femtocell or Wi-Fi router at home downloads the morning paper and traffic conditions; the 3G network takes over during the commute; and once at work the phone links up with the office LAN then transfers to the sidewalk hotspot at lunch time. After another stint on the 3G network on the way home, it’s back on the home network.
That’s our take on this. Let us know what you think in the comments section below: