14 DAY TRIAL // Wireless carrier AT&T, the telecoms service provider that owns the largest Wi-Fi network in the US, announced recently that it had registered the largest number of Wi-Fi connections on its network that had been made during a single quarter. According to the company, during the third quarter of the ongoing year, its customers made a number of 25.4 million Wi-Fi connections, much more than the total number of those made during the past year, namely 20 million, and about the same number of connections made during the first half of 2009, namely 25.6 million.
It seems that the Wi-Fi connections are continuing to see impressive growth, bringing the total number of connections made on AT&T's network since the beginning of the ongoing year up to 51 million. While their number is more than double compared with the last year, it is also increasing by quarter, starting with the 5.2 million connections registered in the fourth quarter of 2008, all the way up to the record number in the third quarter of 2009.
According to the wireless operator, the increasing number of Wi-Fi connections should be attributed not only to the large number of smartphones and other Wi-Fi-capable devices that are currently available on the market, but also to the increasing number of AT&T customers that own a plan with Wi-Fi included. Not to mention that AT&T has also seen great customer additions during Q3 2009.
“Our AT&T Wi-Fi network has proven to be a valuable benefit for our customers,” Angie Wiskocil, senior vice president, AT&T Wi-Fi Services, said. “From adding new hotspots, to enabling auto-authentication and including Wi-Fi service in customers’ plans, we’re providing customers with choice and simplicity in getting and staying connected while also evolving our network to meet their needs.”
Other details unveiled by the carrier include the fact that the number of connections made from smartphones and other integrated devices in the quarter is higher than those made from laptops, and that this is the first time when this happens. “Sixty percent of all AT&T Wi-Fi connections were made from integrated devices, up from 49 percent in the second quarter,” the carrier noted.