Starbucks to Offer Free Access to Paywall site via Starbucks Digital Network

Starbucks will be rolling out free and unrestricted Internet access over wifi in their stores on the 1st July. By Fall 2010, Starbucks also plans to give Internet users in its stores free access to paid sites, including the Wall Street Journal. At the moment Starbucks offers customer wifi access but with a restriction of two hours and you needed to register for a Starbucks Card in order to access the Internet.

This new Starbucks offering is call the “Starbucks Digital Network”. Users will have access to “various paid sites and services such as wsj.com, exclusive content and previews, free downloads, local community news and activities, on their laptops, tablets or smart phones.” Besides the Wall Street Journal, Starbucks’ partners include Apple’s iTunes, The New York Times, Patch, USA TODAY, Yahoo and ZAGAT.