Starbucks Corp. will begin offering unlimited free wireless Internet access at all company-operated U.S. locations starting July 1, part of an ongoing effort to bring more customers in the door. Following McDonald’s lead earlier this year and the relentless march of free wi-fi into our neighborhood coffee shops, Starbucks is trying to get more customers into their stores.

Seeing the success and momentum McDonald’s has gained from free Wi-Fi, Starbucks will offer free unlimited Wi-Fi to customers all over Chicago and the suburbs as well as nationally starting July 1. The Wi-Fi access, which will eventually include a new network of news and entertainment content exclusively for customers, comes as Starbucks works to take business back from rivals like McDonald’s Corp. and independent cafes that have long offered free Internet. The cafe chain, which recorded its first quarterly increase in customers in 13 quarters earlier this year, had previously offered two free hours of Web access each day to registered customers.