The latest fashion in Japan: soft drink machines with built-in WiFi

Japanese soft drink company Asahi Soft Drinks has developed new vending machines that offer free wireless Internet access. Users do not need to register or buy a soft drink: they can simply connect to the public signal during 30 minutes, entering through a homepage with information about local attractions.

In a country where everything, from women's underwear to lobsters are available in a vending machine, it's no surprise to learn that WiFi is the latest service to hit the shelves of Japan's self-service vending machines.. Soft drink maker Asahi Soft Drinks is launching the first beverage vending machine equipped with free high-speed WiFi.

Asahi will install over the next year 1.000 of these machines throughout Japan, including Sendai, Tokyo, Central Kinki, and the Fukuoka areas. The company plans to gradually expand its network of WiFi-equipped soft drink vending machines until it reaches the 10.000 units across the country for the next five years.

These vending machines support up to 12 different connections from multiple devices and users will be able to log in for free without registration. Users will be able to connect to the service for up to a maximum of 30 minutes, although they will be able to reconnect once their session has expired.

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