Joerg at StadNetz wrote to us to explain how the AOL hotspots work in Germany. AOL has 150 Internet terminals in coffee shops throughout the country and the sites have been made into hotspots. AOL customers who pay the monthly flat rate subscription, can use the terminals for free. But according to Joerg, most AOL users in Germany pay as they go. That means those AOL customers pay their normal rate to use the public Wi-Fi terminals.
Only customers with an AOL client can use the hotspot, which is really limiting. That means if a non-AOL customers walks in with a laptop and wants to pay for use, he can't.