- Users: 25,000
- Total Area: 170,000 sq ft.
- Retail Units: 19
- Hospitality
- Free Public WiFi
- Indoor/outdoor WiFi Roaming
- Branded User Experience Portal
- User Data Collection
- Bandwidth Management
- 24/7 EZELINK NOC
Starbucks Corporation, the world’s leading coffeehouse chain, sought to elevate customer experience by offering seamless, secure, and branded guest WiFi across their UAE locations. The challenge was massive—183 outlets in high-traffic zones needed to be connected in record time, without compromising performance, security, or customer experience.
Within just 65 days, EZELINK successfully delivered a smart, cloud-managed WiFi infrastructure, enabling Starbucks to connect customers, grow their digital footprint, and streamline network operations—all under one unified solution.
The EZELINK solution helped us unify our guest WiFi experience across all our UAE locations while enabling powerful insights into customer behavior. The speed of deployment and the reliability of the network exceeded our expectations.
— Assistant IT Manager, Starbucks
Enable seamless branded WiFi across all outlets.
Offer a unified customer experience in malls, highways, and corporate zones.
Build a centralized customer data platform for marketing and engagement.
Provide real-time, cloud-based network control and analytics.
Maintain security, performance, and fast deployment timelines.
Deploying managed WiFi across such a wide network came with several key challenges:
1. Aggressive Timeline
Starbucks required full rollout in just 65 days across 183 locations.
Required simultaneous coordination across multiple regions and teams.
2. High-Density Environments
Outlets located in malls, commercial hubs, and highway stops meant unpredictable traffic and dense device usage.
3. Non-Disruptive Installation
WiFi had to be installed without interrupting business hours or altering store aesthetics.
4. Unified Platform Requirement
Starbucks sought a single-vendor solution that could manage routing, access points, bandwidth control, and customer data securely—without third-party tools.
EZESMARTGATEWAY
A compact, cloud-managed appliance acting as:
- Smart Router
- WLAN Controller
- PoE Switch
- Authentication Gateway
EZELINK AC600P Access Points
- 1200 Mbps total throughput
- 300 Mbps @ 2.4 GHz
- 900 Mbps @ 5 GHz
- High-speed coverage for all customer device
Dedicated project teams coordinated parallel installations across regions.
Custom configurations ensured site-specific optimization.
Deployment carried out during non-peak hours to avoid service disruptions.
Key Features & Benefits
High-performance wireless ensured uninterrupted connectivity and enhanced customer dwell time.
Centralized network visibility for all locations.
Real-time analytics, SSID management, session control, and performance tracking—all under one pane.
Bandwidth shaping per user.
Session time limits and auto-disconnect features.
Secure login using custom splash pages, email, or social media.
Unified Customer Data Platform
Through EZELINK Café WiFi Solution, Starbucks passively built a rich customer database:
Branded splash page with multiple authentication methods.
Data captured: Name, Email, Age, Gender, Social Interests.
Insights into customer behavior, device usage, and session time.
Marketing Integration & Engagement
Custom redirect to Starbucks MENA website after login.
Increased web traffic by 300% month-on-month.
Enabled targeted promotions and campaigns using collected data.
Results
183 outlets connected in record 65 days.
Over 200,000 monthly users on Starbucks WiFi.
31% increase in monthly visitors across Starbucks MENA locations.
Average session time: 1 hour per user.
300% increase in website traffic due to smart redirect.
Improved customer satisfaction through fast, reliable internet and personalized interactions.