Thursday, November 6, 2008

Wayport Acquired By AT&T

Austin-based Wayport, a provider of Wi-Fi hotspots and networking services, has been acquired by AT&T, AT&T said this morning. According to AT&T, it will pay approximately $275M in cash for Wayport, adding nearly 20,000 domestic hotspots and 80,000 locations to AT&T's network. AT&T said the transaction is expected to close as early as the fourth quarter of 2008. Wayport operates Wi-Fi hotspots and broadband connectivity in hotels, public spaces, and retail locations such as McDonald's. Wayport has been providing the back-office management of At&T's Wi-Fi hot spots, and was behind AT&T's major win with coffee retailer Starbucks in February, where AT&T displaced T-Mobile in providing Wi-Fi at Starbucks.