Rochester, N.Y. — "I'll take a Big Mac, small fries, a milk shake, and 60 minutes of 802.11b wireless LAN (WLAN) access." That's the kind of order that Intel and McDonald's are hoping to foster around the country.
The king of the processor world and the giant of fast food chains said they are teaming up to provide WiFi access to diners chomping on burgers.
In an announcement today (March 11), Intel and McDonald's launched a joint marketing campaign promoting the rollout of WiFi hot spots in McDonald's restaurants. The initial push will start in New York City, where McDonald's currently has WiFi-enabled 10 restaurants, but will expand to several hundred restaurants in New York, Chicago and an undisclosed city in California.
"McDonald's is bringing broadband to Broadway," said Mats Lederhausen, president of McDonald's Business Development Group. "It makes perfect sense for us to offer customers a great way to unwire, unwind, enjoy an Extra Value Meal and catch up on e-mail."
To attract WiFi users, over the next three months, wireless-enabled laptop customers in New York who purchase an Extra Value Meal will receive one hour of free high-speed wireless Internet access. Customers can also purchase a single session of up to 60 minutes for $3.
For Intel, the arrangement with McDonald's is one more step in gaining adoption for its Centrino processor. Announced several weeks back, the Centrino microprocessor is aimed at the notebook market and comes equipped with embedded WLAN functionality.
McDonald's will offer an open network that does not require a registration process. The service will also be accessible to McDonald's employees.
