AT&T launched a free Wi-Fi hot spot in New York City’s Times Square Monday with the goal of providing its 3G cellular subscribers with an alternative way to connect in a dense urban area where cellular traffic and mobile data usage are very high. The new wireless coverage zone near 7th Avenue between 45th and 47th Street, will enable AT&T users to gain mobile broadband access using any Wi-Fi-enabled device, including smartphones, laptops, netbooks and tablets.
The pilot project will enable AT&T to evaluate whether Wi-Fi can serve as a stopgap option to alleviate customer-service complaints. The wireless carrier says it may deploy additional hot zones in other areas across the country based on the results from its pilot program in Times Square.
“With this pilot AT&T Wi-Fi hot zone, we’re examining new ways to combine our Wi-Fi and 3G networks to help ensure that AT&T customers in Times Square always have a fast mobile broadband connection,” said John Donovan, AT&T chief technology officer. “It’s another example of how AT&T is exploring the ideal blend of technologies to maximize the mobile experience for our customers in New York City.”
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The heavy demand of data super-users equipped with iPhones and other advanced handsets has long been a major drain on AT&T’s 3G capacity. In response, AT&T began devoting special attention last year to Manhattan and the financial center of San Francisco — two locales where iPhone users have long complained about service and for which the wireless carrier admitted that the level of performance did not meet the company’s standards.
With respect to the rest of the nation, AT&T said late last year that it would add 2,000 cell sites to its network in 2010. Since then, AT&T has been lighting up new backhaul connections across the country and anticipates that the majority of…