Starbucks to offer free Wi-Fi, digital content

WASHINGTON: US coffee giant Starbucks will begin offering free wireless Internet service at its 6,700 US stores next month and free digital content through a partnership with Yahoo!

Starbucks said the free Wi-Fi service would be available from July 1 through US telecom giant AT&T. Starbucks currently offers two hours of free Wi-Fi to customers who have a Starbucks card.

The coffee chain said it also plans to offer free digital content to customers, including free access to websites such as that of The Wall Street Journal, which currently charges online readers for full access to WSJ.com.

The "Starbucks Digital Network" will launch this fall and will offer "free unrestricted access to various paid sites and services," Starbucks said in a statement.

It said launch content providers will include Apple's iTunes, The New York Times, Patch, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo! and Zagat.