Ding! Wi-Fi’s up at McDonald’s

Global fast food giant McDonald's has expanded its initially limited foray into public Wi-Fi service by launching hot spots at 75 of its restaurants in the San Francisco Bay Area and Silicon Valley.

The service launch, which had been expected in recent weeks, is being described as a pilot program by McDonald’s, but it augments the Wi-Fi trial McDonald’s had started in March at 10 of its restaurants in New York City. The company, based in Oak Brook, Ill., is partnering with Intel and network operator Wayport on the Bay Area service. Cometa Networks has been McDonald’s network partner in the New York trial.

The Bay Area program is also the next step in McDonald’s plan to offer service at several hundred of its restaurants in New York, San Francisco and Chicago by the end of this year, the company said.

The restaurants involved in this week’s launch are located from San Rafael in the northern Bay Area to San Jose in the south, and from Pleasanton in the east to Half Moon Bay along the California coast.

McDonald’s is charging Bay Area users $4.95 for two hours of Internet access, with other options available.

A complete list of McDonald's restaurants with wireless access in the Bay Area can be found at www.mcdwireless.com.