Starbucks and AT&T: Up and Runing

AT&T is now officially rolling out wi-fi in Starbucks. The coffee giant is switching over from T-Mobile. Wi-fi in Starbucks is an integral part of the success of the company. Although the service is not free hardcore caffeine/internet addicts seem to have no problem dishing out the cash.
I wrote a research paper on Wi-Fi connectivity in the restaurant industry. Although research suggested the majority of consumers demand free wi-fi Starbucks has been able to compete quite well. The main reason I believe that customers are willing to pay for wi-fi in Starbucks is because once they have an account with AT&T they can connect at many other locations such as airports and various businesses.
I fully expect Starbucks to subsidize the costs or offer free wi-fi to guests within the next five years. With web enabled phones and more ubiquitous wireless coverage becoming more prevalent I expect that the company will have trouble keeping customers in the store because they'll be to access the web from a much more scenic location than the local Starbucks with its hipster baristas.