McDonald's® USA to Provide Free Wi-Fi Internet Access at 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3Expo)

McDonald's USA (NYSE: MCD) today announced plans to provide free Wi-Fi Internet access to more than 60,000 attendees as the official Wi-Fi sponsor of the 2006 Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3Expo), in Los Angeles.

E3Expo is the world's premiere trade event for the interactive entertainment industry. This year's E3Expo at the Los Angeles Conference Center, May 10-12, will showcase the latest interactive entertainment and education software and related products available to electronic entertainment enthusiasts.

McDonald's will also distribute 25,000 coupons for free Wi-Fi Internet access. The coupons provide one hour of free Internet access at more than 7,000 Wi-Fi-enabled U.S. McDonald's restaurants, powered by Wayport.

"We believe in bringing our customers innovative and convenient solutions that enhance their McDonald's restaurant experience," said Jim Sappington, vice president information technology, McDonald's USA. "As the official Quick Service Restaurant and Wi-Fi sponsor of the 2006 E3Expo, this is an excellent way for McDonald's to demonstrate the convenient wireless services we provide for customers and online gamers in our restaurants."

McDonald's has been a player in the online gaming world since 2002. More recently, McDonald's introduced free Wi-Fi access for Nintendo's DS gamers at its Wi-Fi-enabled restaurants in the U.S.

McDonald's Wi-Fi-enabled restaurants are listed on http://www.mcdwireless.com/ . McDonald's customers can also identify participating restaurants by signage that displays the Golden Arches in the universal Internet @ symbol. Customers can pay just $2.95 for a two-hour wireless Internet connection, with other pricing options available from Wayport. To learn more, visit http://www.wayport.net/ .

About McDonald's

McDonald's USA, LLC is the leading foodservice provider in the United States serving a variety of wholesome foods made from quality ingredients to millions of customers every day. More than 80 percent of McDonald's 13,700 U.S. restaurants are independently owned and operated by local franchisees. For more information about McDonald's visit http://www.mcdonalds.com/ .

Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/19990916/MCDLOGO
AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com

SOURCE: McDonald's USA

CONTACT: William Whitman, +1-630-623-6745, or
william.whitman@us.mcd.com , or Danya Proud, +1-630-623-5063, or
danya.proud@us.mcd.com , both of McDonald's USA

Web site: http://www.mcdonalds.com/
http://www.mcdwireless.com/
http://www.wayport.net/