Back in May, Telstra announced a plan to create one of the world’s largest Wi-Fi networks. Telstra plans to install two million Wi-Fi hotspots across the nation within five years. Officially set to launch next year, Telstra has this morning announced that a trial of the system will begin in November, in more than 1,000 locations across Australia.
The trial isn’t just hitting out of the way places either, Telstra has chosen some of the biggest, busiest and what should be traffic heavy locations across the country. The first trials will be using Wi-Fi access points in payphone sites, including places such as :
- Bourke Street Mall, Melbourne
- Bondi Beach, Sydney
- Rundle Mall, Adelaide
- Queen Street Mall, Brisbane
- Elizabeth Street, Hobart
- Civic Centre, Canberra
- Perth CBD
- Smith Street Mall, Darwin
- Plus key regional locations and holiday destinations
The Wi-Fi access points will be accessible for free until the network launches next year. Once the network is live, there will be a number of ways that users will be able to access the service :
- Telstra home broadband customers with a compatible gateway who join the Wi-Fi community can use their home broadband allowance via domestic hotspots and connect to more than 13 million Fon-enabled hotspots globally.
- Non-Telstra customers and Telstra customres who have not joined the Wi-Fi community will be able to connect to Fon-enabled Telstra Wi-Fi hotspots for a small charge using guest passes.
If you want to learn more about the Telstra Wi-Fi nation initiative, you can head over to their website to register your details.
Spark NZ has had a national WiFi hotspots for about 12 months now if you’re on one of their $19 / month or greater plans. . Wonder if the Telstra version will allow Kiwis to connect for free on holiday as Spark does for Ozzy cell phone users..??
I had to laugh at this. My Family live in The Hunter Valley not more than 120 Kms from Newcastle and have no Mobile coverage within 20 Kms of their property and absolutely no High Speed Internet – satellite is available but ridiculously slow. These are people who are trying to run farms and other businesses who are still living with 1970’s communications. MPs have been lobbied incessantly with absolutely no effect. The whole thing is a National disgrace and Telstra are now skiting about their WiFi hotspots? Absolutely disgusting.
There’s wifi hot spots all over Greece for free and the country is in crisis. Not good enough Australia!
This why Creece has almost gone bankrupt.
If this is why then maybe Telsra should pull the plug. Wow! Free WiFi causes bankruptcy… Who would have known… Best I start charging my mates for WiFi at my place…