Telstra launching Australia's largest Wi-Fi network

Telstra will today launch Australia's largest Wi-Fi network, Telstra Air, allowing participating broadband customers to use their home data quota while out of the house.

The company will make the network available in an initial 250 or so towns and cities nationwide, using hotspots at payphone sites and retail outlets.

Built in collaboration with global Wi-Fi provider Fon, the Telstra Air network will be designed to consist primarily of hotspots provided by Telstra's home broadband customers.

In exchange the customers will be able to use their data allocation at any Telstra Air hotspot, as well as Fon hotspots in 18 overseas countries including the UK, Japan, Brazil, Spain France and Germany — potentially eliminating expensive overseas roaming costs.

Telstra home broadband customers with compatible gateways will be able to join Telstra Air at no extra charge.

Telstra has previously expressed an intention to open use of the network to non-customers for a small fee. But the announcement of the imminent launch does not mention any way for non-customers to gain access, and the company could not immediately be reached for clarification.

In order to expand the network, Telstra has reached a number of deals with local councils to bring the Wi-Fi network to public places, and plans to start rolling out hundreds of new public hotspots from later this year.

Meanwhile, the company has announced new broadband plans to accompany the launch. The new plans include an entry-level $89 per month offer with 200 GB of data, a compatible modem, a Telstra T-Box and six months of media streaming service Presto.

The high-end plan is $149 per month for a 1 TB allowance that also includes the Platinum Pro helpdesk service.

Image courtesy Telstra