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Business & Tech

Speedier WiFi Headed to a Starbucks Near You

Coffee chain's national rollout started in August. It is expected to take about 18 months to complete.

If you love Frappuccinos but can't stand waiting around for your favorite web pages to load, you're in luck.

Internet speeds at Starbucks are about to get a lot faster.

The coffee chain has partnered with Google on a deal the Internet behemoth promises will increase speeds tenfold if not more, Google's official blog says. Cities with Google fiber optics will see WiFi speeds at Starbucks 100 times faster.

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The rollout started in August. The Google deal effectively severs the coffee giant's ties to AT&T.

“Google has long invested in helping the Internet grow stronger, including projects to make Internet access speedier, more affordable, and more widely available,” Google officials said.

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All 7,000 Starbucks stores will get faster WiFi, the blog report says.

 “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.”

Mountain View has Starbucks stores located at 750 Castro Street, 1037 El Monte Avenue, 580 N. Rengstorff Avenue, 809 Cuesta Drive, 1380 Pear Avenue, 2350 Charleston Road.

The rollout will take 16 months to complete.

“We appreciate your patience if it’s still a little while before we get to your favorite Starbucks—you’ll know your new network is ready to go when you can log in to the 'Google Starbucks' SSID,” Google officials said.

Does the promise of faster WiFi speeds make Starbucks a more compelling place to visit? Share your thoughts in our comments section.

 

 

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