T-Mobile Offering Free Wi-Fi In Florida For Hurricane Victims

[Janak Parekh]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://wifinetnews.com/archives/004067.html' target='_blank'>http://wifinetnews.com/archives/004067.html</a><br /><br /></div><i>"T-Mobile hasn’t put out a press release, but is quietly spreading the word about free Wi-Fi in Florida: With people losing homes or stuck far away from home, T-Mobile has opened its hotspot service for free in Florida through the end of the day on Monday. T-Mobile operates service in Starbucks, Kinko’s, Borders, and various airline lounges. Wherever these locations are operating, the service will be free to help folks communicate or just find out more about where they can go next."</i><br /><br />Way to go, T-Mobile. :way to go: With phone networks jammed as of late, this kind of access can be a huge boon to people trying to communicate. Wi-Fi is no longer just a toy, but an important tool in getting the word out and around.

[sponge]

For some reason, I have this image of a levelled city, and all that's standing and are able to see are Starbucks, and Kinkos.

[Duncan]

For some reason, I have this image of a levelled city, and all that's standing and are able to see are Starbucks, and Kinkos.

In the post nuclear holocaust world the cockroaches have to be able to get their coffee from somewhere... ;)

[felixdd]

IMHO WiFi ubiquity will change the way we exchange data, as you require much less hardware than a wired network to establish a LAN. I can see board (bored) meetings and lecture halls establish Ad-Hoc WLANs for file distribution. Bluetooth would work well too...if it ever takes off....

But in this case I think only the truly hardcore Geeks (with a capital G) will be able to take advantage of the T-Mo free WiFi. Think about it...you're fleeing for your life from mother nature and what's the first thing the person thinks of to carry? His/her WiFi-enabled laptop/PDA (or a WiFi card) :D

Heck with food and water -- I need precious internet!!!

[Ryan Joseph]

For some reason, I have this image of a levelled city, and all that's standing and are able to see are Starbucks, and Kinkos.

:rotfl: Ha ha! Actually, that image doesn't seem so strange to me. I can totally imagine it. :D The city has been destroyed. Forget the National Guard, Starbucks to the rescue!

Seriously, I think this is a great idea for T-Mobile. It seems a little short to only extend it through Monday, but at least they're offering it all! I know I'd be grateful for it if I lived in a damaged area.

[jmbneaf]

I'm sure I'll get flamed for this; but here goes.....

Won't a better option (and more reasonable open helptful idea) be the following:

Free: GSM - specifically voice - for all t-Mobile users in the South Florida areas most affected and free WiFi at the spots already noted at least thru the end of the week. Keeping it WiFi only and thru Monday seems "well" cheap and short sided IMHO. I know the clean up effort will be far from complete on Monday or even months from now; but, phones in many areas will still be out at least thru the end of the week.

Also, where are the other cellular guys in this too? won't Cingular, ATTWS, Alltel, Nextel, and Verizon join in too?

-Maybe I am being too liberal in this concept, but it is a disaster there, your thoughts?

-JB

[Janak Parekh]

Free: GSM - specifically voice - for all t-Mobile users in the South Florida areas most affected and free WiFi at the spots already noted at least thru the end of the week. Keeping it WiFi only and thru Monday seems "well" cheap and short sided IMHO.
No flame intended, but this won't work. If you start making voice calls free, the GSM network will get even more horribly overloaded, and then the really important calls won't get through. I'm pretty sure the functioning cells have been overloaded as it is, if local disasters around here (e.g., the power outage last year) are any indication. I had to try to hit dial 10 times to get a call out -- and that was with the regular fees in place.

T-Mobile can offer WiFi, as I suspect their hotspot network is fairly lightly loaded and the marginal cost of making it free for the next few days should be pretty minimal. As to why they're doing it through Monday and not later... no idea how that decision-making process is done.

--janak

[jmbneaf]

Good point. With most of the land lines down, any existing / active cell lines are loaded. So logically the better bet is to open up network / IP lines of communication - ergo free Wifi.

Makes more sense to me now. -JB

[Radimus]

don't forget about the people that evacuated to safety, but without their internet connection (or their wlan) from home... the cheap dump hotel may not have free/available internet.

this is an offer to the dispossessed, not just the few picking through the pieces.

besides, free wlan will be the eventual price for these hotspots. Come for the free internet, but pay for the coffee, or books, or slurpees, or copies, or whatever...

[mrkablooey]

Maybe I am being too liberal in this concept, but it is a disaster there, your thoughts?

Last I heard the damage was estimated at $6 billion.

I agree with you... more should be done, within technological limits.

[chrisnian]

Just spent the weekend down there helping relatives with clean up. Free wi-fi and Starbucks/Kinkos are the last thing on anyones mind down there. There is no power (which also means no water for most people in the area as they use well water), no phones, and cellular connectivity is very sporadic (usually get an "all networks are busy" message).

The images of destruction that you see in the media are nothing compared to seeing the real thing (and I didn't even go into Punta Gorda itself - or at least where it used to be). The area has been totally decimated.

Please keep these people in your prayers, and if you can do anything to help, make a donation to the American Red Cross or SunTrust Bank.

Good job by T-Mobile with their offer... but a lot of people have lost everything they owned so they need help of a different kind here. :(

[g0097]

Here in Orlando my little neighborhood got hit pretty badly. There has been now power since friday and it looks like it will be till the end of the week before we get it back (thanks to two power poles down in our neighborhood). The internet has been my main source of information and sanity. :-D I am posting his right now through my SonyEric.. P900 using tmobile. Its killing my poor little battery though and i keep and to run to the car two to three times a day to recharge. I might try to take in some free wifi today with my Tosh.. e805 before the day is out.