TELSTRA today launches the summer of wi-fi love, opening up its Telstra Air Network so that millions of Australians will have uncapped and unlimited free wi-fi around the country.
Telstra predicts that Australians looking to avoid mobile data costs or not wanting to burden their home data limits will be tapping into the wi-fi network and using the data equivalent of sending more than 50 million high-quality photos.
From today until June 30 next year, all eligible Telstra mobile and broadband customers will be able to tap into the more than 200,000 hot spots around the country that are located in pay phones, cafes, parks, and retail outlets.
Telstra launched the Telstra Air Network in June but there were several catches to using it. You had to be a Telstra broadband customers, you could only log on for 30 minutes at a time and the data you used was counted against your home data limit.
From today, when Telstra customers log on to the network, they will not have any data caps or time limitations and any data they use will not affect their other accounts.
Telstra’s broadband director Stuart Bird says opening up the Telstra Air Network to mobile users would enable the system to go from it’s current usage to tens of thousands of unique customers a day to millions of potential users.
Around the country … Telstra customers will be able to to tap into among more than 200,000 hot spots.
He said for Telstra opening up the network would enable the carrier to learn more about how customers wanted to use the network.
The Telstra Air Network lets people log on to wi-fi within about 20-30m of a hotspot. Mr Bird said the system offered data speed comparable to home wi-fi.
Six months after launching the network, Telstra says there had been some surprises in how and where people have used it.
The most popular wi-fi point so far is the Telstra store in George St, Sydney, with the popular tourist destination of Southport in third position. In-between the two is the small Queensland town of Roma, suggesting the army of grey nomads who travel north for winter like to stop off and use the free wi-fi along the way.
“Six months in, we’re still learning. Sometimes it comes down to how many hot spots are in a given area ,” Mr Bird said.
“Obviously the usage profiles are different in a country town, compared to say Bondi Beach, Hyde Park or George St.”
Trends so far suggest many customers and students and members of the digital-first generation but there has also been a wave of budget-minded older people looking for free wi-fi on the road.
Telstra customers can find if they are eligible for the offer at telstra.com/freewifi.
Learning curve … Telstra says opening up its network allows it to learn more about how customers want to use wi-fi.
Data Prediction
The most popular Telstra Air hot spots used across the country since launch are:
1. Telstra Discovery Store, 400 George St, Sydney
2.88 McDowall St, Roma, Queensland
3.84 High Street, Southport, Gold Coast
4.134 Jetty Rd, Glenelg, Adelaide
5.276 Railway Pde, Noble Park, Melbourne
6.7 Dawson St, Gladstone, Queensland
7.732 Military Rd, Mosman, Sydney
8.230 Jull St, Armadale, Perth
9.117 North Tce, Bankstown, Western Sydney
10.60 Wembley Rd, Logan Central, Brisbane
Data Prediction — NSW
New South Welshmen are predicted to use the data-equivalent of sending more than 16 million high-quality photos to post, browse, share and stream on our Wi-Fi network over summer.
The most popular Telstra Air hot spots used across NSW since launch are:
1. Telstra Discovery Store, 400 George St, Sydney
2.732 Military Rd, Mosman, Sydney
3.117 North Tce, Bankstown, Western Sydney
4.70 Saywell Rd, Macquarie Fields, Sydney
5.48 Carlton Pde, Carlton, Sydney
6.326 Victoria St, Darlinghurst, Sydney
7. River St, Woodburn
8.100 Byron St, Inverell
9.24 Ocean Rd, Palm Beach, Sydney
10.55 Shortland Esp, Newcastle
Data Prediction — VIC
Victorians are predicted to use the data-equivalent of sending more than 12 million high-quality photos to post, browse, share and stream on our Wi-Fi network over summer.
The most popular Telstra Air hot spots used across Victoria since launch are:
1.276 Railway Pde, Noble Park, Melbourne
2.548 Mahoneys Rd, Campbellfield
3.250 Elizabeth St, Melbourne
4.67 Numurkah Rd, Shepparton
5.717 Bourke St, Docklands
6.159 Marine Pde, San Remo
7.91 Spencer St, Docklands
8.32 Station ST, Mooroolbark
9.20 Longmore St, Camperdown
10.544 Station Rd, Box Hill
Data Prediction — QLD
Queenslanders are predicted to use the data-equivalent of sending more than 10 million high-quality photos to post, browse, share and stream on our Wi-Fi network over summer.
The most popular Telstra Air hot spots used across QLD since launch are:
1.68 McDowall St, Roma
2.84 High Street, Southport, Gold Coast
3.7 Dawson St, Gladstone
4.60 Wembley Rd, Logan Central
5.36 Mowbray Tce, East Brisbane
6.68 The Esplanade, Golden Beach
7.24 Nerang St, Southport
8.64 Cornwall St, Annerley
9.123 Albert St, Brisbane
10.97 Flockton St, Everton Park
Data Prediction — SA
South Australians are predicted to use the data-equivalent of sending more than 3.5 million high-quality photos to post, browse, share and stream on our Wi-Fi network over summer.
The most popular Telstra Air hot spots used across South Australia since launch are:
1.134 Jetty Rd, Genelg
2. Ellen St, Port Pirie
3.30 Pirie St, Adelaide (Telstra House)
4.15 Moseley Sq, Glenelg
5.30 Poynton St, Ceduna
6.50 Commercial St, Port Augusta
7.66 Victoria St, Victor Harbour
8.726 Port Rd, Beverley
9.11 Tassie St, Port Augusta
10.110 The Parade, Norwood
Data Prediction — WA
Western Australians are predicted to use the data-equivalent of sending more than 5 million high-quality photos to post, browse, share and stream on our Wi-Fi network over summer.
The most popular Telstra Air hot spots used across Western Australia since launch are:
1.230 Jull St, Armadale
2.57 James St, Perth
3.78 Stirling St, Perth
4.108 Pinetree Gully Rd, Willetton
5.208 Spencer Rd, Thornlie
6.300 Murray St, Perth
7.178 St Georges St, Perth
8.464 Hannan St, Kalgoorlie
9.68 Burt St, Boulder
10.13 Mends St, South Perth
Data Prediction — NT
Territorians are predicted to use the data-equivalent of sending more than half a million high-quality photos to post, browse, share and stream on our Wi-Fi network over summer.
The most popular Telstra Air hot spots used across the Northern Territory since launch are:
1.63 Smith St, Darwin City
2.254 Casuarina Dr, Nightcliff
3.55 Mitchell St, Darwin City (Telstra Store)
4.9 Cavenagh St, Darwin City
5.19 The Mall, Darwin City
6.38 Parap Rd, Parap
7. Mitchell St, Larrakeyah
8.27 Bath St, Alice Springs
9.36 Progress Dr, Nightcliff
10.5 Katherine Tce, Katherine South
Data Prediction — TAS
Tasmanians are predicted to use the data-equivalent of sending more than one million high-quality photos to post, browse, share and stream on our Wi-Fi network over summer.
The most popular Telstra Air hot spots used across Tasmania since launch are:
1.368 Main Rd, Glenorchy
2.18 Main Rd, Sorell
3.106 Murray St, Hobart
4.49 Macquarie St, George Town
5.16 Murray St, East Devonport
6. Pearsal Ave / Ocean Esplanade, Blackmans Bay
7.10 Emu Bay Rd, Deloraine
8.1 Monpelier Ret, Hobart
9.79 Elizabeth St, Hobart
10.65 Hopkins St, Moonah
Data Prediction — ACT
Canberrans are predicted to use the data-equivalent of sending more than 800,000 high-quality photos to post, browse, share and stream on our Wi-Fi network over summer.
The most popular Telstra Air hot spots used across the ACT since launch are:
1.78 Wattle St, Lyneham
2.20 Bradley St, Phillip
3.142 Bunda St, Canberra
4. Mawson Dr, Mawson
5. Denigan St, Wanniassa
6.2 Barker St, Griffith
7. Ainslie Ave, Braddon
8.222 City Walk, Canberra Centre
9.148 City Walk, Canberra Centre
10.7 Franklin St, Griffith
[Source:- news.com]