Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) knows that many of its consumers go to its coffee shops not just to buy and enjoy their favorite coffee, but also to spend their personal time surfing the internet. Others, particularly freelance professionals, frequently go to Starbucks to complete their projects online.
In other words, Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) is not just a coffee shop, because some consumers use it as their home base, and therefore a fast and reliable internet access is significant for the company to attract new customers, and make its loyal customers happier to keep its business growing.
Starbucks switches from AT&T to Google
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) decided to boost the internet access available in its coffee shops by replacing AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) WiFi netwok with Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG)’s Fiber internet service.
In a blog post, Kevin Lo, general manager of Google Access said Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) teamed-up with Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) to bring free WiFi connections to its 7,000 company-operated coffee shops in the United States. Lo said the process will take place over the next 18 months.
Starbucks says Google Fiber ‘100x faster’
He emphasized that once Google Fiber is already installed in a certain local Starbucks coffee shop, consumers will notice that they will be able to surf the web up to 10 times faster than the previous internet access. Lo said, “If you’re in a Google Fiber city, we’re hoping to get you a connection that’s up to 100x faster.”
“Google has long invested in helping the Internet grow stronger, including projects to make Internet access speedier, more affordable, and more widely available. The free Internet connection at Starbucks has become an important part of many communities over the years, such as in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy, or for students without Internet at home who do their homework at Starbucks,” added Lo.
Google Inc (NASDAQ:GOOG) will start installing the new networks for Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) in August. Lo said, consumers will know if their local Starbucks coffee shop is already integrated with software giant’s Fiber internet service if they can login to the “Google Starbucks” SSID.
Starbucks Corporation (NASDAQ:SBUX) recently announced its partnership with Duracell Powermat to bring wireless charging in select coffee shops in Silicon Valley. This is a clear demonstration the coffee chain is aggressively strengthening its consumer base and competitiveness in the market to ensure long-term growth.
