Telstra begins national Wi-Fi roll out with 1000 ‘trial sites’ expected before Christmas
Telstra has started to roll out its national Wi-Fi network after today switching on the first 150 hotspots, with 1,000 ‘trial sites’ expected to be available by Christmas.
The move marks the beginning of a $100m plan by the telco to offer two million hotspots across the country within five years.
The first have been made available in some of Australia’s busiest locations including Bourke Street Mall in Melbourne, Hyde Park in Sydney and King George Square in Brisbane.
The 1,000 trial areas will be located at payphone sites in the “heart of local communities” while future Telstra-build hotspots will also be located at Telstra retail outlets and exchange buildings.
Group executive Telstra Retail, Gordon Ballantyne, said the Wi-Fi roll out was taking shape.
“This trial marks the beginning of our ambition to switch on more than two million hotspots across the nation over 5 years and give customers the best Wi-Fi experience in and out of the home,” Ballantyne said.
“We want customers to have greater options for connecting when they’re out and about. From browsing the web, streaming videos or sharing photos with friends, we want customers to have a taste of what the network will be like next year when Telstra Wi-Fi members will be able to use their home broadband allowance at the hotspots.”
The hotspot locations to be trialled before Christmas will be in towns and regional hubs traditionally popular during the holiday season, he added.
Telstra said the national reach of the program is illustrated by Wi-Fi hotspots in Katherine in the north, Byron Bay in the east, Launceston in the south and Margaret River in the west.
There’s always a sting in the tail (conversely, there ain’t nothing for nothing).
Looked pretty good until I got to “we want customers to have a taste of what the network will be like next year when Telstra Wi-Fi members will be able to use their home broadband allowance at the hotspots.”
Oh, so it won’t be like going into Maccas or Starbucks or even your local coffee shop and logging onto free wifi. You will pay for it through your home broadband allowance. And if that’s a limited allowance, you’ll end up paying Telstra even quicker because when you’re currently away from home, you aren’t going over your limit.
Thanks for nothing (literally!), Telstra.
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Geez, Rrrosco, you really want that free lunch, don’t you?
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