Wednesday
HP Joins McDonald's to Spread McInternet in Brazil
McDonald's Corp. said on Tuesday it would team up with computer maker Hewlett-Packard Co. to offer its clients across Brazil the ability to surf the Web while eating their Big Macs and fries.
Already on the menu in 75 stores across the South American country as a pilot program, McDonald's said it would roll out its "McInternet" service to the rest of its 584 outlets in Brazil by the middle of next year.
"We will be synonymous with Internet in the country," Marcel Fleischmann, the head of McDonald's operations in the South American nation, said in a statement.
McDonald's and Hewlett-Packard will join the Brazilian unit of America Online Latin America Inc. and Brazilian bank Itau (ITUA4.SA: Quote, Profile, Research) in the project, in which the four plan to invest $20 million over the next five years.
Under the program, customers will be allowed to navigate the Web as long as they make food purchases at McDonald's. On average, there will be four computers at each McDonald's, which HP will provide.
Because so few people in Brazil own computers with Internet access, Brazilian public Internet stations are expected to increase in popularity.
In the United States, McDonald's is offering fast wireless Internet access to customers at some of its outlets via Wi-Fi, a relatively rare technology in Brazil.
The expansion comes as McDonald's operations in Brazil come under pressure from the sluggish economy, which has crimped consumer spending.
It is also facing lawsuits from some of its franchisees in Brazil, which claim the company has been inflexible during the troubled economic times.
Already on the menu in 75 stores across the South American country as a pilot program, McDonald's said it would roll out its "McInternet" service to the rest of its 584 outlets in Brazil by the middle of next year.
"We will be synonymous with Internet in the country," Marcel Fleischmann, the head of McDonald's operations in the South American nation, said in a statement.
McDonald's and Hewlett-Packard will join the Brazilian unit of America Online Latin America Inc. and Brazilian bank Itau (ITUA4.SA: Quote, Profile, Research) in the project, in which the four plan to invest $20 million over the next five years.
Under the program, customers will be allowed to navigate the Web as long as they make food purchases at McDonald's. On average, there will be four computers at each McDonald's, which HP will provide.
Because so few people in Brazil own computers with Internet access, Brazilian public Internet stations are expected to increase in popularity.
In the United States, McDonald's is offering fast wireless Internet access to customers at some of its outlets via Wi-Fi, a relatively rare technology in Brazil.
The expansion comes as McDonald's operations in Brazil come under pressure from the sluggish economy, which has crimped consumer spending.
It is also facing lawsuits from some of its franchisees in Brazil, which claim the company has been inflexible during the troubled economic times.
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