June 7, 2008
Business Briefing | Legal Matters
T-Mobile Sues Starbucks Over Hot Spots
By BLOOMBERG NEWS
T-Mobile USA sued Starbucks, saying the coffee chain breached a contract by allowing AT&T to supply in-store customers with free wireless Internet access using T-Mobile’s lines and equipment. T-Mobile, which said it agreed to provide Wi-Fi service at Starbucks in 2002, accused the largest American coffee chain of secretly developing a plan to let AT&T provide free Internet service at more than 7,000 Starbucks stores in the United States. T-Mobile said it is bearing the cost and burden of the free Wi-Fi service offer because it provided equipment and technology at thousands of Starbucks stores. Valerie O’Neil, a spokeswoman for Starbucks, did not return a voice-mail message left at her office seeking comment.
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