SBC And UPS Copy T-Mobile And Kinko's
UPS, realizing that they probably needed to add WiFi to their UPS Stores (formerly Mailboxes Etc.) to keep up with the FedEx owned Kinko’s and their deal with T-Mobile for hotspots, has signed up with SBC to provide hotspots using the now popular $20/month or $8/day pricing point. Of course, SBC isn’t everywhere, so when SBC isn’t nearby to provide the hotspot, they’re passing the deal onto everyone’s favorite “other” hotspot provider: Wayport. This sounds like a 100% “me too” play, with nothing particularly unique about it. Like the T-Mobile/Kinko’s deal, it sounds like they haven’t thought much about integrating the wireless access into other services offered by the stores, but are mainly focused on connectivity. While the deal is interesting because it’s yet another nationally known chain providing WiFi, it also demonstrates all the hands that want to take a piece of the pie. You have UPS, you have each franchise operator, you have SBC and you have Wayport. That’s a lot of hands for a little pie.
