Even though I may not be a T-Mobile user myself, I think it is great to see hotspots becoming more and more popular. Speaking for myself, I think it makes sense to offer Wi-Fi as a free attraction in hopes of buying other goods instead of ’selling it’.

Starbucks and T-Mobile split the fee. Pete Thompson, a marketing executive at T-Mobile USA, says the carrier is looking to ink more Starbucks-like partnerships. It has similar pacts with FedEx, Kinkos and bookseller Borders.

The new expansion comes mostly through deals with other hot spot operators. Such deals let T-Mobile customers “roam” to other hot spots. T-Mobile revealed pacts with hot spot operators in France, Switzerland, Portugal and the Philippines. It already has roaming deals throughout Europe, Japan and Singapore.

T-Mobile says its customers will get hot spot access at another 525 U.S. hotels besides the 400 now covered. It will cover 72 U.S. airports, up from 39.

T-Mobile still trails Wayport, which has more than 6,300 hot spots, including in many McDonald’s stores. T-Mobile hasn’t teamed with Wayport, but he says it’s the type of company T-Mobile would like to do roaming with. “There are so few operators with national coverage,” Thompson said. [Read the rest]