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[[File:Boulevard.jpg|thumb|585x585px|Boulevard payphone equipped with Telstra Air]]
'''Telstra Air''' is Telstra's public Wi-Fi hotspot network, available at thousands of payphone locations across Australia. Wi-Fi enabled payphones are visually identified by a '''magenta (pink) cap''' on top of the cabinet, often accompanied by a "Free Telstra Wi-Fi" sticker on the body of the unit. As of 2026, approximately 4,500 payphones<ref>Telstra payphone database with 'has_wifi_hotspot' = TRUE</ref> across the country carry the Telstra Air feature, with Telstra having announced plans to progressively upgrade the remaining fleet in the coming years.<ref>[https://www.telstra.com.au/telstra-air Free Wi-Fi is now available to anyone across selected Telstra payphones] - Telstra Exchange, 25 August 2022</ref>

== History ==

=== 2014: Announcement and early trials ===

In April 2014, Telstra announced plans to build one of the world's largest Wi-Fi networks, with the intention of deploying hotspots across payphone sites, retail stores, and opted-in residential modems across Australia.<ref>[https://www.telstra.com.au/aboutus/media/media-releases/Telstra-switches-on-one-millionth-Telstra-Air-hotspot-opens-network-for-World-WiFi-Day Telstra switches on one millionth Telstra Air hotspot, opens network for World Wi-Fi Day] - Telstra Media Release, June 2017</ref> The service initially trialled under the name '''Telstra WiFi''' as part of a broader "WiFi Nation" push, covering over 4,000 hotspots across 250 towns before the full branded launch.<ref>[https://b3.au/2015/06/fon-comes-to-australia-with-the-launch-of-telstra-air/ Fon comes to Australia with the launch of Telstra Air] - b3.au, June 2015</ref>

=== 2015: Official launch and Fon partnership ===

Telstra Air formally launched on 30 June 2015 under its current name, available to Telstra home broadband customers with a compatible Gateway Max modem. Participating broadband customers shared a portion of their modem's bandwidth with the network, and in exchange gained access to their home broadband allowance at any hotspot on the network.<ref>[https://b3.au/2015/06/fon-comes-to-australia-with-the-launch-of-telstra-air/ Fon comes to Australia with the launch of Telstra Air] - b3.au, June 2015</ref>

At launch, Telstra also announced an exclusive partnership with '''Fon''', a global Wi-Fi community network. This gave Telstra Air members roaming access to over 15 million Fon hotspots across 18 countries including the UK, France, Germany, Japan, Spain, and Brazil, allowing customers to use their home broadband allowance while travelling overseas.<ref>[https://convergedigest.com/telstra-launches-nationwide-wi-fi/ Telstra Launches Nationwide Wi-Fi Service in Partnership with Fon] - Converge Digest</ref> Each hotspot broadcast two SSIDs simultaneously: '''Telstra Air''' and '''Fon Wi-Fi''', both routing to the same captive portal and providing identical speeds.<ref>[https://whirlpool.net.au/wiki/telstra_air Telstra Air WiFi Hotspot Network] - Whirlpool Wiki</ref>

Non-Telstra customers could still access the network by purchasing short-term passes, priced at $6.60 for 1 hour, $10 for 1 day, and $23 for 5 days.<ref>[https://b3.au/2015/06/fon-comes-to-australia-with-the-launch-of-telstra-air/ Fon comes to Australia with the launch of Telstra Air] - b3.au, June 2015</ref>

=== December 2015: Mobile customers added ===

In December 2015, Telstra extended Telstra Air access to its personal mobile customers, granting them free and unlimited Wi-Fi data on the network alongside existing home broadband members.<ref>[https://www.telstra.com.au/aboutus/media/media-releases/Telstra-switches-on-one-millionth-Telstra-Air-hotspot-opens-network-for-World-WiFi-Day Telstra switches on one millionth Telstra Air hotspot, opens network for World Wi-Fi Day] - Telstra Media Release, June 2017</ref>

=== June 2017: One millionth hotspot ===

By June 2017, just two years after the formal launch, the Telstra Air network had grown to over one million hotspots across Australia, the majority of which came from opted-in residential modems rather than payphone or retail sites. Telstra marked the milestone on World Wi-Fi Day 2017.<ref>[https://www.telstra.com.au/aboutus/media/media-releases/Telstra-switches-on-one-millionth-Telstra-Air-hotspot-opens-network-for-World-WiFi-Day Telstra switches on one millionth Telstra Air hotspot, opens network for World Wi-Fi Day] - Telstra Media Release, June 2017</ref>

=== 2019-2020: Bushfire emergency access ===

During the 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfire season, Telstra temporarily made both payphone calls and Telstra Air Wi-Fi free for all users nationwide, regardless of whether they held a Telstra account. This was extended across the entire country given the scale of the emergency.<ref>[https://www.telstra.com.au/exchange/free-payphones-and-hotspots Making payphones and Telstra Air free for all] - Telstra Exchange</ref>

=== August 2021: Payphone calls made permanently free ===

On 3 August 2021, Telstra CEO Andrew Penn announced that all standard local, national, and mobile calls from Telstra payphones would be made permanently free for everyone. This removed the need for coins or calling cards for domestic calls and was accompanied by a 70% increase in call volumes in the following year, with over 250,000 calls made to services such as Triple Zero, Lifeline, and Centrelink.<ref>[https://www.telstra.com.au/exchange/free-payphones-and-hotspots Making payphones and Telstra Air free for all] - Telstra Exchange</ref>

=== August 2022: Wi-Fi made free for all ===

On 25 August 2022, Telstra extended free Wi-Fi access at payphone hotspots to all users, removing the login and account requirement entirely. Around 3,000 payphones were Wi-Fi enabled at this point, with work announced to upgrade the remaining ~12,000 payphones over the following years.<ref>[https://www.telstra.com.au/telstra-air Free Wi-Fi is now available to anyone across selected Telstra payphones] - Telstra Exchange, 25 August 2022</ref> The network SSID visible to users changed from '''Telstra Air''' to '''Free Telstra Wi-Fi''' to reflect the open access model.<ref>[https://www.reviews.org/au/internet/what-is-telstra-air/ Telstra Air is free WiFi for all Aussies] - Reviews.org Australia, October 2024</ref>

=== 2024: Continued rollout ===

By 2024, Telstra reported nearly 4,000 Wi-Fi enabled payphone sites active across the country.<ref>[https://www.telstra.com.au/exchange/free-wifi-telstra-payphone-usage-2024 Free Wi-Fi on Telstra payphones: tracking a boom in usage] - Telstra Exchange</ref> Monthly data consumed across the free payphone Wi-Fi network was described by Telstra as enough to stream over five years of 4K video without stopping. Priority for the ongoing upgrade rollout has been given to disaster-prone and remote communities.

== Identifying a Telstra Air payphone ==

The clearest visual indicator of a Telstra Air capable payphone is its '''magenta (pink) cap'''. Standard non-Wi-Fi payphones have an orange cap. Some units also carry a "Free Telstra Wi-Fi" sticker on the cabinet body and/or display a white Wi-Fi fan symbol on the cap itself.

This distinction is documented on the [[Cabinet]] article, which notes that Wi-Fi enabled payphones use a magenta cap while standard payphones use an orange one.

{| class="wikitable"
|-
! Feature !! Standard payphone !! Telstra Air payphone
|-
| Cap colour || Orange || Magenta (pink)
|-
| Wi-Fi sticker on body || No || Sometimes
|-
| Wi-Fi symbol on cap || No || Sometimes
|-
| Free calls || Yes || Yes
|-
| Free Wi-Fi || No || Yes
|}

== Connecting to Telstra Air ==

Connecting to a Telstra Air hotspot does not require any app or account. The steps are:

# Enable Wi-Fi on your device.
# Select '''Free Telstra Wi-Fi''' from your device's Wi-Fi list.
# A captive portal page will open automatically. If it does not, open any website in your browser and you will be redirected.
# Read and accept the terms and conditions, then tap '''Agree And Connect'''.
# You are now connected.

Once connected to one hotspot, your device may automatically reconnect to other Telstra Air hotspots in future.

=== Speed and range ===

Real-world speeds vary considerably depending on location, backhaul connection type, and the number of users connected at the time. Payphones provisioned over ADSL2+ connections may deliver speeds well below 1 Mbps under load, while fibre-connected locations and Telstra retail stores can achieve considerably higher speeds. Standing within a few metres of the payphone yields the best results; moving too far away will typically cause a device to fall back to mobile data.<ref>[https://www.reviews.org/au/internet/what-is-telstra-air/ Telstra Air is free WiFi for all Aussies] - Reviews.org Australia, October 2024</ref>

=== Security ===

Telstra Air is an open public network. Telstra advises against using it for sensitive activities such as online banking. Using a VPN when connected is recommended to protect personal data, though this may reduce speeds further.

== Community impact ==

Free payphone Wi-Fi has been highlighted by Telstra as an important tool for digital inclusion. Identified user groups include remote and regional communities relying on payphones to access health and government services, people in financial hardship who lack a home internet connection or sufficient mobile data, and communities in disaster-affected areas where fixed-line and mobile infrastructure has been disrupted.<ref>[https://www.telstra.com.au/exchange/free-wifi-telstra-payphone-usage-2024 Free Wi-Fi on Telstra payphones: tracking a boom in usage] - Telstra Exchange</ref>

== See also ==

* [[Cabinet]]
* [[Telstra Smart Payphone]]

== References ==

<references />