Edible Apple

Well this should come as good news for iPhone owners. AT&T announced plans today to purchase Wayport, a Wi-Fi provider that caters to a number of businesses including McDonalds and an impressive array of Hotel chains such as Marriott and Four Seasons. All in all, the deal (which came in at $275 Million) now bolsters the number of AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots in the US to 20,000 locations.

In a statement released today, AT&T Operations CEO John Stankey noted:

“Now is the right time for AT&T to affirm our commitment to Wi-Fi leadership. By acquiring Wayport, we’re giving consumers more ways to stay in touch and building a more robust network management solution for businesses. We’re bringing ready access to the nation’s leading Wi-Fi, wireless and IP networks on a global scale.”

Check out the map below for a quick glance at Wayport hotspots around the country, and click on the map to find a hotspot near you.

This deal is of course great news for iPhone users as AT&T announced last week that iPhone users would be able to access AT&T WiFi hotspots free of charge. This move will be welcomed with open arms from iPhone users who can’t get to their news fast enough. Interestingly, as WiFi hotspots become more ubiquitious, iPhone users will invetiably start relying on AT&T’s 3G network less and less, which, ironically, might end up improving 3G speeds overall. A win win all around.

To check out AT&T’s full press release, click here.

To find a AT&T Wi-Fi hotspot near you, click here.