AT&T Wi-Fi auto-authentication available on iPhone OS 3.0

AT&T has announced a new AT&T Wi-Fi hot spot feature: support for auto-authentication on iPhone OS 3.0 for faster automatic connections. This is good news for iPhone users who, while they have had free access to over 20,000 AT&T Wi-Fi hotspots for some, struggled to access the hotspots because of the complicated steps it took to do so. According to AT&T's announcement:

AT&T today announced it will support auto-authentication for iPhone OS 3.0 users connecting to AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots. Auto-authentication allows iPhone users to seamlessly switch from AT&T's 3G network to an AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spot without being prompted.

AT&T customers with qualifying iPhone data plans have unlimited access to the nation's largest Wi-Fi network, currently more than 20,000 U.S. AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spots.

The new process eliminates the previous two-step authentication, making it easier and faster for iPhone customers to connect to AT&T Wi-Fi. Autoconnect is established once a customer connects their iPhone to an AT&T Wi-Fi Hot Spot the first time.

This new auto-authentication process is available now to all existing iPhone and iPhone 3G customers using iPhone OS 3.0. Support for the iPhone 3G S will be available immediately after its launch on Friday. (Find more information about AT&T Wi-Fi hot spots at www.attwifi.com.) If you're not yet using iPhone OS 3.0, you may continue to access AT&T Wi-Fi using the current authentication method.

Find a list of AT&T Wi-Fi hot spots here.