DALLAS — September 18, 2003 — Long a destination where business gets done, Kinko's® is becoming the place wired-in businesspeople also work wirelessly. The company's location on Greenville Avenue in Dallas today became the first to host T-Mobile HotSpot Wi-Fi service, providing a whole new way of doing business for mobile professionals with a Wi-Fi enabled laptop or PDA.
Earlier today, Jeff Heyman, retail vice president for Kinko's, and Joe Sims, vice president and general manager of T-Mobile HotSpot, kicked off Kinko's nationwide deployment of T-Mobile HotSpot wireless broadband Internet service at a "cutting of the Ethernet cord" ceremony at the Greenville Ave. location.
The Dallas event signaled the arrival of Wi-Fi at nearly 170 Kinko's branches by the end of October. This first phase of installations includes Kinko's locations in North Texas, Northern and Central California, New Jersey and New York. By the beginning of next year, T-Mobile HotSpot service is expected in hundreds of Kinko's U.S. locations, including branches in Los Angeles, Chicago, and Washington, DC. More than 1,100 Kinko's nationwide plan to offer HotSpot access by April 2004.
Kinko's joins more than 2,800 other active T-Mobile Hot Spot locations. The service complements Kinko's position in the marketplace as the ultimate businessperson's "office on the road." No longer caught in a labyrinth of wires and cables that chain them to their office, "windshield warriors" who routinely visit Kinko's now get wireless Internet access as well as Kinko's mission critical business services such as videoconferencing, copying and printing, fax services and business stationery.
"Working remotely with the same productivity as in the office is truly a challenge for today's mobile worker," said Dan Connors, executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Kinko's. "Starting with our first installation here in Dallas, Kinko's begins delivering the added convenience of Wi-Fi to this key customer segment. T-Mobile HotSpot subscribers around the country will soon wirelessly access the Internet, send documents for production, connect with their corporate networks or check e-mail - all at Kinko's."
According to Joe Sims, vice president and general manager of T-Mobile HotSpot, today's announcement marks another important milestone for T-Mobile HotSpot. "While others struggle to live up to lofty Wi-Fi aspirations, T-Mobile continues to make good on its promise to deliver wireless broadband services in places that we know people already visit as part of their everyday business lives," Sims said. "Our internal research shows that 88 percent of T-Mobile HotSpot usage is for business purposes and our partnership with Kinko's is yet another example that T-Mobile is the clear choice for businesspeople."
T-Mobile HotSpot is the nationwide Wi-Fi service leader, making up the largest commercial network at airports, airline clubs and lounges of American Airlines, Delta Air Lines and United Airlines, Borders Books and Music, Starbucks coffeehouses and now Kinko's. The company expects to have approximately 4,000 T-Mobile HotSpot locations by the end of this year.
In keeping with T-Mobile's Get More® promise to offer the best overall value in wireless, customers can get T-Mobile HotSpot service at rates starting as low as $9.99 for a 24 hour DayPass. Existing T-Mobile customers can easily add the T-Mobile HotSpot service to their monthly wireless voice and data bill for $19.99 a month for unlimited access.
To use T-Mobile HotSpot service, customers need a Wi-Fi-enabled notebook computer or PDA. They will also need to register for a T-Mobile HotSpot account by visiting www.t-mobile.com/hotspot/. T-Mobile offers several pricing plans to meet the needs of customers including pay-as-you-go, DayPass and annual and month-to-month subscriptions for unlimited use.
About T-Mobile, USA
Based in Bellevue, Wash., T-Mobile USA, Inc. is a member of the T-Mobile International group, the mobile telecommunications subsidiary of Deutsche Telekom AG (NYSE: DT). T-Mobile operates the largest GSM/GPRS 1900 voice and data network in the country, reaching over 245 million people including roaming and other agreements. In addition, T-Mobile operates the largest carrier owned Wi-Fi (802.11b) wireless broadband (WLAN) network in the country, available in more than 2,800 public access locations including Starbucks coffeehouses, Borders Books and Music, Kinko's, airports and American Airlines Admirals Clubs, United Red Carpet Clubs and Delta Air Lines Clubs. T-Mobile is committed to providing the best value in wireless service through its GET MORE® promise to provide customers with more minutes, more features and more service than any other wireless provider. For more information, visit the company web site at http://www.t-mobile.com.
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NOTE TO EDITORS: For details on availability of T-Mobile HotSpot service at Kinko's in your area, contact Kinko's or T-Mobile public relations. B-roll footage is also available upon request.
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