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Tuesday 20 May, 2014 – Telstra will create one of the world’s largest Wi-Fi networks as part of a $100
million-plus strategy to increase connectivity in the places Australians live, work and visit including cafes,
shops, sports grounds and transport hubs.
The strategy aims to offer all Australians, irrespective of whether they are a Telstra customer or not, access to
two million Wi-Fi hotspots across the nation within five years. The network, which is scheduled to launch early
2015, will also reach overseas allowing people to connect at more than 12 million international hotspots, as
part of an exclusive deal recently concluded with global Wi-Fi provider, Fon.
Telstra CEO, David Thodey said the plan would usher in a new era of Wi-Fi in Australia which would help
meet current data needs and deliver future capacity for the explosion of traffic expected to be delivered over
Wi-Fi.
“Australians already have access to one of the world’s leading mobile networks offering fast, unparalleled
coverage on the move. Telstra’s new Wi-Fi network will broaden the choice of connection giving people a
convenient way to get online using their portable devices when spending time at a hotspot. It will offer our
customers the unique option to seamlessly use their home broadband allowance inside and outside the
home.”
“We want Australia to be a truly connected country and as part of our plan, we are keen to work in partnership
with local councils and enterprises to grow our Wi-Fi network in Australia’s largest cities and regional centres,”
Mr Thodey said.
“The opportunities go beyond connecting people. The city-wide availability of Wi-Fi coupled with the growth in
the internet of things can help us improve the way we live in cities. Town planning, sustainability, traffic
management, maintenance, public safety and the provision of government services are just some of the
challenges that can be tackled by connecting sensors and objects with networks. This is an incredible
opportunity and we are already in discussions with a number of councils to make smart cities a reality.”
With the majority of portable device traffic now delivered over Wi-Fi in the home or via hotspots, Mr Thodey
said all Australians would stand to benefit from the network.
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“Today more than 20 million devices are connected to the mobile internet in Australia . This investment helps
us connect the next 20 million and create an environment where our customers can read the news over
breakfast at home, upload photos to Facebook while waiting for a train, check email between meetings at a
local cafe and load match scores at the big game at night – all over Telstra Wi-Fi.”
“The network will be built by Telstra, but brought to life, in part, by our customers and we’re really looking
forward to watching it grow. It will be a living community, steadily growing; house by house, street by street,
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OECD (2014) devices connected to the mobile internet in Australia at broadband speeds, http://www.oecd.org/sti/ict/broadband.
Australians can register their details to receive more information about Telstra Wi-Fi as it’s released by
heading to www.Telstra.com/wifination.
Media contact: Nicole McKechnie, 0429 004 617 and Steve Carey, 0413 988 640
Email: media@team.telstra.com
www.telstra.com.au/abouttelstra/media-centre/
Reference: 79/2014