In what could be a big blow to the coffee-and-donut chain’s major competitor Starbucks, Tim Hortons has announced that it will be offering free wireless access at over 2,000 locations.
In a news release issued on July 5, 2012, the company states that it expects to have wi-fi in 90 per cent of its restaurants by September.
“It’s all about convenience and making life easier for our guests,” Tim Hortons chief operations officer Roland Walton said in the news release. “Free wireless Internet at Tim Hortons will help people stay connected on the road in more locations than anyone in Canada and is yet another great reason to visit one of our restaurants to enjoy a fresh cup of coffee.”
Tim Hortons is partnering with Bell to make this project a reality. Anyone wishing to access the internet at a Tim Hortons location will be able to log on to its network through devices such as smart phones, tablets and laptop computers.
The move is certain to be a coup for the chain, which up until now did not have the advantage of wireless internet the way that Starbucks did. Now any customers going to Starbucks just to use the internet will have another option. Tim Hortons’s will be the “largest free internet network in Canada.”
The initiative is drawing disparate responses on Twitter:
About bloody time: Tim Hortons to offer free wireless internet j.mp/NaS5JY
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Andrew Coyne (@acoyne) July 05, 2012WiFi + Timbits = awesome - Tim Hortons adding free Bell Wi-Fi at 2,000 locations. natpo.st/MBk3As #cdntech by @christinedobby
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Matt Hartley (@thehartley) July 05, 2012Finding a table will be even tougher for you Tims fans. @MTone123 Free wireless #Internet coming to Tim Hortons. bit.ly/L2RDOI
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Bill Mah (@MahSpace) July 05, 2012New marketing slogan for Tim Hortons'?
Hot Coffee and a Hot spot...
theglobeandmail.com/technology/tec…
#timhortons #hotpspots
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Kevin McConville (@Sensfan001Kevin) July 05, 2012