Telstra have announced Telstra Air. It’s the brand name for those WiFi hotspots on top of thousands of phone boxes, but the Telstra Air network has some more details you’ll want to know.
Your home broadband allowance can be as much as 10x the size of your mobile data cap and Telstra Air will allow you to use the data from your home account, while you’re out and about. Not only will the network come from those Telstra phone boxes, but you’ll be able to connect in many public places like Bondi Beach.
Probably the most interesting part of the announcement is the requirement for Telstra Air members to allow their WiFi router to be a Telstra Air hotspot for other users.
“You can use their hotspots, and they can use yours”.
Telstra will also launch new broadband packages from Tuesday that include generous data allowances designed to help Australian families make the most of Telstra Air.
Telstra says they will be partnering with small businesses, enterprises and local government to bring Telstra Air to cafe’s shops and public places.
Once you’re a Telstra Air Member, all you have to do is head to the WiFi network list, select the Telstra Air SSID. A login page will appear, where you’ll enter your Telstra username and password. From this point you should be able to roam between Telstra Air hotspots without intervention.
Telstra Air actually extends internationally with a network partner Fon allowing the use of your home data in 18 countries including the UK, Spain, Brazil, Japan, France and Germany. A list that would be great to see evolve and reduce the burden of overpriced international data.
Telstra Air will be available from next Tuesday, when hotspots will be switched on in more than 250 towns and cities across Australia. Millions of Telstra home broadband customers, including customers on the NBN, can become a Telstra Air member at no additional charge provided they have a compatible gateway. Members will be able to find and automatically log into their nearest Telstra Air hotspot with the touch of a button using a Telstra Air app.
Update
After hearing from you guys, we reached out to Telstra to clarify some things about Telstra Air. Here’s what we learnt.
- Telstra Air will require you to have a Telstra Router (sorry enthusiasts) around 1.1 Million should have compatible devices.
- Telstra Air will scale to your connection, ADSL limited to 1 connection, Cable/NBN limited to 3 connections.
- Home connection speed will be tested at signup.
- If you don’t have a connection capable of sharing, you will still be able to signup and use Telstra Air.
- Connecting to other people’s WiFi will likely be limited to 2Mpbs per user.
For more information head to http://telstra.com/air
