PSA: A cafe owner in Lisbon told me his wifi bill went up 300% this year

I was working from this small spot near Bairro Alto and the owner was complaining to a regular about his internet costs. He said his provider just raised the price for the same speed from 30 euros a month to nearly 90. It made me wonder how many other places are quietly dealing with this. Do you think we'll start seeing more cafes charging for wifi or just kicking out long-term laptop users?

2 comments

2 Comments

olivere3016d ago

Heard a similar story from a barista in Porto last fall... said they almost took the router out back and shot it. Makes you wonder if the big companies are just squeezing small spots because they can. I bet we see more of those "power outlet fee" signs pop up, which is a real shame. The whole point was to have a place to sit and work for the price of a coffee.

ivan21116d ago

Actually the power outlet fee thing is already pretty common in some cities. Saw it a lot in Berlin and Prague. It's not always the big companies, sometimes it's just a small owner who's tired of people camping all day on one latte. The math just doesn't work for them. Still feels bad though, kills the vibe.