Is AT&T playing favorites with iPhone users?
AGIOS NIKOLAOS, GREECE - iPhone users around the United States have confirmed that AT&T is giving them free Wi-Fi access at their many hotspots nationwide. All they have to do is enter their iPhone's phone number to gain access. Is AT&T treating BlackBerry and other customers like second-class citizens?
The buzz within the iPhone community is that "unlockers" - iPhone users who choose to use carriers other than AT&T are left out in the cold - can't get in on the free Wi-Fi access. But what about the majority of AT&T's customers who don't use the iPhone? Are we being treated like unlockers, too, even though we're loyal customers playing by the rules? Is this why AT&T hasn't announced the free iPhone Wi-Fi service?
Although the "rumor" that AT&T is giving iPhone users free Wi-Fi access has apparently been confirmed as true, I have not been able to confirm that AT&T customers who don't use an iPhone are locked out. If anyone can test this, please drop me a line.
In the meantime, if it turns out to be true that AT&T is treating "the rest of us" like unwanted stepchildren, it may be time to find another carrier.
Also: It would be really helpful if AT&T would clarify exactly what's going on here.
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