Telstra Air is the telco's Australia-wide network of wireless hotspots – there's over one million around the country. It's almost a recycling program for Telstra which has allowed it to repurpose old payphones to provide something a bit more useful: WiFi. If a Telstra payphone has a pink dome on top, it's a Telstra Air WiFi hotspot.
Telstra stores also double as hotspots, and Telstra broadband customers can choose to contribute to the network by turning their home modem into a hotspot.
If you're a Telstra customer, there's a chance you have free access to Telstra Air, and it can actually be pretty useful. Not only can you save yourself some mobile data when you're out and about, you also get free public WiFi when travelling overseas through a partnership between Telstra and the Fon WiFi hotspot network, a company with hotspots across the globe.
How do I use Telstra Air?
You can access the Telstra Air hotspot network for free if you're a Telstra NBN customer or on a older Telstra postpaid mobile plan. It won't count against your monthly data allowance either for mobile or broadband, but you'll need to set up your access before you can jump on.
Set up for Telstra broadband customers
In addition to all of the repurposed telephone box hotspots, Telstra broadband customers also help extend the Telstra Air network far and wide. If you want to access Telstra Air as a broadband customer, you'll need to agree for your Telstra modem to become part of the Telstra Air network before you can use the network yourself.
Telstra says NBN customers can choose to become part of Telstra Air after their first two or so months of being with the provider. According to a spokesperson, the service can take a while to activate.
Telstra limits the number of people who can use your hotspot at once, as well as the speeds they can access, so it shouldn't impact your use at home. Other people's data won't count toward your monthly download allowance, and the Telstra Air network is treated as separate WiFi. As such, people using your hotspot won't be able to see any of your personal information.
After you've got your hotspot set up, you'll get access to the rest of the network.
If you're not an existing Telstra broadband customer, here is the company's current range of NBN plans:
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Telstra
Upfront Internet Plan Basic
$89/mth
Min. cost $89
Link not supplied
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Set up for Telstra mobile customers
Telstra previously offered Telstra Air access with most postpaid mobile plans, but no longer does this. If you're on an older plan (if you signed up before March this year), you should still get Telstra Air.
If you're on a new Upfront plan or on a prepaid plan, you won't get free access to Telstra Air.
To see if you're eligible, download the Telstra Air app and sign in with your Telstra ID (the username you use to log into your account), and follow the prompts.
Using Telstra Air
After you're registered to use the network as either a Telstra mobile or broadband customer, you'll then be able to use Telstra Air hotspots whenever you come across one. You can connect to them like any other wireless network (although you'll need to enter your username and password) using your mobile phone, tablet or laptop. You can also download the Telstra Air app to your phone or tablet, which will automatically connect you to hotspots when you're in range.
If you want to find out where hotspots are near you or where you're travelling, use the Telstra Air online hotspot checker on the Telstra website.
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Can I use Telstra Air if I'm not a Telstra customer?
If you're not a Telstra customer or you don't have an eligible Telstra plan, you're still able to use Telstra Air hotspots, but it will cost you. You can buy a Guest Pass which will provide unlimited data on the Telstra Air network, within a certain time period.
Guest pass prices start at $5 for an hour, and go as high as a $30 for a 30-day pass.
Can I use Telstra Air overseas?
Telstra Air members also get free access to WiFi hotspots overseas through the Fon network. Fon operates over 19 million hotspots around the world, with most of these situated in Europe. Japan and South Korea are also well covered, and you'll still find some scattered across the United States. The Fon website has a more detailed breakdown of where you'll find hotspots.
To access Fon WiFi hotspots, you'll need the Telstra Air App on your iPhone or Android device and your Telstra username and password. Alternatively, you can get a Fon username and password through your account settings on the Telstra website, which will be different to your Telstra username and password.
Note that if you want to use Fon WiFi overseas, you'll need to activate Telstra Air before you leave Australia.
Is public WiFi safe?
Public WiFi is fine if you want to get in a little bit of web browsing, music streaming, or social media, but it shouldn't be used for anything important, like online banking. Public Wi-Fi is typically unencrypted, which means there's the potential for third parties to intercept your data as it goes through your phone or computer to its destination.
If you need to use a public WiFi service like Telstra Air for tasks like banking, you'll want to use a VPN to encrypt your traffic. We recommend F-Secure's Freedome.
Telstra NBN plans with Telstra Air
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Telstra
Upfront Internet Plan Essential
$105/mth
Min. cost $105
Link not supplied
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Are there alternatives to Telstra Air?
No other Aussie telco has its own public WiFi network. However, if you're finding you have to rely on public WiFi to avoid going over your mobile data allowance, it might be worth considering a new plan. There are now plenty of plans from smaller providers that include hefty allowances on the cheap. Here are some of the most popular big data mobile plans on the Telstra network:
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#1
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Belong 
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#2
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Boost Mobile 
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#3
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Everyday Mobile 
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Link not supplied
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#4
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Tangerine Telecom 
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And here are some popular options powered by the Optus and Vodafone networks:
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#1
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SpinTel 
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#2
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Dodo 
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#3
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Moose Mobile 
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Link not supplied
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#4
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Southern Phone 
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Link not supplied
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#5
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amaysim 
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Link not supplied
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If you predominantly need Public WiFi to avoid hotspotting, you could consider a portable WiFi hotspot instead. Here's a selection of popular mobile broadband plans:
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#1
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Belong
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Link not supplied
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#2
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Tangerine Telecom
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Link not supplied
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#3
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Southern Phone
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Link not supplied
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#4
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SpinTel
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Link not supplied
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#5
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Vodafone 
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Link not supplied
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#6
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Telstra 
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Link not supplied
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#7
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Aussie Broadband 
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Link not supplied
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