AT&T today launched its latest Hotzone Wi-Fi service in Wrigleyville, the neighborhood of restaurants and shops surrounding Wrigley Field, home of the Chicago Cubs. The new Wi-Fi hotzone provides coverage along the streets and in the outdoor areas of Wrigleyville on the south, east and west sides of the stadium.

The Chicago AT&T Wi-Fi hotzone is the third to be deployed as part of a pilot project to examine using Wi-Fi to supplement AT&T’s mobile broadband coverage in areas with consistently high 3G traffic and mobile data use. The first pilot AT&T Wi-Fi hotzone launched in New York City’s Times Square in May.

“We are excited to introduce an AT&T Wi-Fi hotzone in Wrigleyville, on the heels of successful hotzone launches in New York and Charlotte. These pilot AT&T Wi-Fi hotzones give us the opportunity to explore new ways to utilize our Wi-Fi and 3G networks to deliver the best possible experience for our customers,” said Dave Fine, vice president and general manager of AT&T in Illinois.

“We couldn’t be more pleased that AT&T has selected Wrigleyville as one of its three Wi-Fi hotzone locations,” said Jerry Roper, president and CEO of Chicagoland Chamber of Commerce. “This is great news for businesses in this vibrant neighborhood, as it offers Chicagoans and visitors yet another reason to experience all that the Wrigleyville area has to offer.”

AT&T's Hotzone surrounds Wrigley Field in Chicago (click to enlarge)

The Hotzone concept is designed to offload traffic away from AT&T’s congested 3G wireless network onto lower cost Wi-Fi service.  The Wi-Fi network is also expected to be faster than AT&T’s 3G network which may help drive AT&T customers towards using it.  There are no additional charges or usage limits for AT&T customers to access the Hotzone.

[flv]http://www.phillipdampier.com/video/Wrigleyville a Chicago Neighborhood Visitor Guide from Chicago Traveler.flv[/flv]

Chicago Traveler produced a short video introducing tourists to what’s on offer in Wrigleyville other than AT&T’s Hotzone.  (3 minutes)