AT&T’s Hot Spot Offer for iPhone OS 3.0 Users
AT&T
will support auto-authentication for iPhone OS 3.0 users connecting to
AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots. Auto-authentication allows iPhone users to
seamlessly switch from AT&T's 3G network to an AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spot
without being prompted.
According to the company, AT&T customers with qualifying iPhone data
plans have unlimited access to Wi-Fi network -- over 20,000 U.S. AT&T
Wi-Fi Hot Spots.
AT&T’s focus on the consumer Wi-Fi market increased after its recent
acquisition of
Wayport. With Wayport resources, AT&T wants to strengthen its services
covering broadband access across devices, personalized for the user and
location, and business Wi-Fi applications. (Read:
AT&T Focuses on Wi-Fi with Wayport Acquisition)
The new
process, it says, eliminates the previous two-step authentication,
making it easier and faster for iPhone customers to connect to AT&T
Wi-Fi. Auto-connect is established once a customer connects their iPhone
to an AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spot the first time.
The addition of auto-authentication for iPhone users comes at a time
when Wi-Fi usage continues to experience rapid growth, driven by the
proliferation of Wi-Fi enabled devices. More than 4 million connections
were made at AT&T's U.S. Hot Spots with smartphones, including the
iPhone 3G, in the first quarter of 2009 alone, says the company.
The Wi-Fi adoption is getting further
impetus from the emerging Wi-Fi Tethering technology, which allows users
to share their mobile phone’s 3G internet connection with external
devices like laptops over Wi-Fi. In other words, they can transform
their mobile phone into a mobile Wi-Fi Hot Spot. To start using the
Wi-Fi for internet sharing, users need to buy add-on software for their
mobile phone that enables tethering. (Read:
Is Your Mobile Ready for Wi-Fi Tethering?)
The new
auto-authentication process is available to all existing iPhone and
iPhone 3G customers who download the free iPhone OS 3.0 software update
via iTunes. It will also be available to all iPhone 3G S customers once
that product goes on sale on June 19. Meanwhile, all iPhone customers
can continue to get AT&T Wi-Fi access with the current authentication
process, AT&T informs.
Apple
has introduced iPhone 3G S. The company says it’ll come with new
features including improved speed and performance – up to twice as fast
as iPhone 3G – with longer battery life, a 3 megapixel autofocus camera,
easy to use video recording, and hands-free voice control. The device
will be available on June 19. (Read:
Now Coming the New iPhone 3G S)
The
phone includes the
new iPhone OS 3.0, a mobile operating
system with over 100 new features such as Cut, Copy and Paste, MMS,
Spotlight Search, landscape keyboard, and more.
Bookmark this on Delicious
Seed Newsvine
Your Comments:
