What is Telstra Air? Mobile & Broadband Plans & Telstra Air Speed

Telstra Air is the name given to the Telstra’s network of Wi-Fi enabled hotspots. This network of approximately 900,000 wireless hotspots covers entire Australia. There are two ways by which this feature works. First one is its own installed hotspots across Australia. If a Telstra payphone has a pink dome on top, it acts as a hotspot. The second one is the Telstra stores and customer fixed line broadband modems that connect to the Telstra Air network. After connecting, it becomes a mesh of wireless hotspots across Australia.

How to Use Telstra Air?

Register yourself on the Telstra official website. Now you can use your username and password to connect to the Telstra Air hotspot. This process is similar to any other wireless network connection. Telstra Air app can also automatically connect you to hotspots when you’re in range.

Most of the new prepaid and postpaid mobile plans have free Telstra Air service. If you are on a qualifying Telstra service, then you will receive Telstra Air free of cost. It is actually a value-added service for its current customers. Prices start at $5 for an hour and go as high as a $30 for a 30-day pass for non-Telstra customers. There is no data limit for guest passes.

telstra air

Telstra Air Cost

If you have compatible Telstra Home Gateway on the home broadband service, then you can easily access Telstra Air. Compatible Telstra Home Gateway means a gateway that lets your home broadband service to be a part of the wider Telstra Air network. In simple terms, you will be giving an effective “guest” access to your home Wi-Fi. In exchange for that, you get free Telstra Air within the country and to the “Fon” branded hotspots outside the country.

Data usage on Air is counted against your home broadband usage quota. The number of people using your hotspot at once is limited. This also means that other people’s data will not be counted against your monthly data allowance. Your personal information will not be displayed to any hotspot user.

Check out our review about Telstra Prepaid Mobile Plans

Telstra Mobile Plans with Telstra Air

PlanFeaturesPrice
$39 Go Mobile Plus BYO Plan2 GB Data

$500 value

Contract (12 months)

$39 per month

Min. cost is $468

$49 Go Mobile Plus BYO (Mx) Online Plan10 GB Data

Unlimited National Calls and text messages

Contract (12 months)

$49 per month

Min. cost is $588

$59 Go Mobile Plus BYO Plan15 GB Data

Unlimited National Calls and text messages

Contract (12 months)

$59 per month

Min. cost is $708

$79 Go Mobile Plus BYO Plan20 GB Data

Unlimited National Calls and text messages

Contract (12 months)

$79 per month

Min. cost is $948

$99 Go Mobile Plus BYO Plan30 GB Data

Unlimited National Calls and text messages

Contract (12 months)

$99 per month

Min. cost is $1188

$10 Pre-Paid Extra™ SIM Starter Kit1 GB Data

Unlimited National Calls and text messages

Prepaid (7 Days)

$10
$30 Pre-Paid Extra™2.5 GB Data

Unlimited National Calls and text messages

Prepaid (28 Days)

$30
$30 Pre-Paid Extra™ SIM Starter Kit2.5 GB Data

Unlimited National Calls and text messages

Prepaid (28 Days)

$30
$40 Pre-Paid Extra™5 GB Data

Unlimited National Calls and text messages

Prepaid (28 Days)

$40
$50 Pre-Paid Extra™7.5 GB Data

Unlimited National Calls and text messages

Prepaid (28 Days)

$50

Intertested in Telstra Go ? Check out our review about it here

Telstra Broadband Plans with Telstra Air

PlansFeaturesPrice
Home Internet Connect Plus Bundle – Cable1000 GB Data

Cable connection

$90 per month

Min. cost is $2259

Home Internet Connect Plus Bundle – NBN1000 GB Data

NBN Fixed line connection

$90 per month

Min. cost is $2259

Home Internet Connect Plus Bundle1000 GB Data

ADSL 2+ Connection

$90 per month

Min. cost is $2259

Home Internet Entertainment Bundle – CableUnlimited Data

Cable connection

$90 per month

Min. cost is $2475

Home Internet Entertainment Bundle – NBNUnlimited Data

NBN Fixed line connection

$90 per month

Min. cost is $2475

Home Internet Entertainment BundleUnlimited Data

ADSL 2+ Connection

$90 per month

Min. cost is $2475

What about when you travel overseas?

Wi-Fi hotspot through “Fon” network is free for Telstra Air members. There are over 20 million Fon hotspots across Europe, Japan, South Korea and the United States. So, Telstra Air review is very good. You can get the hotspot availability on the Fon website, Telstra Air app or Telstra’s online hotspot checker.

Install Telstra Air app on your iPhone or Android device. Use your Telstra username and password to access the hotspot. You can also get a Fon username and password. Remember that the Fon username and password will be different from the Telstra one.

Locations with High-Speed Connections

New South Wales

Sydney

  • Bondi Junction Westfield Shopping Centre Telstra Store (Best speeds iPhone7 246.99/276.70 Mbps)
  • Castle Towers Shopping Centre Telstra Store (Best speeds iPhone7 222.37/260.79 Mbps)

Queensland

Brisbane

  • Queen Street CBD (Best speeds 72/44 Mbps)
  • Browns Plains (200/100 Mbps)
  • Chermside (210/170 Mbps)
  • Garden City (200/100 Mbps)
  • Indooroopilly Shopping Centre (Best speeds 178/143 Mbps) http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/1766843496
  • Logan Hyperdome (Best speeds 138/135 Mbps) http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/1695701563
  • Highgate Hill – Hampstead Road Phone Box (61/5 Mbps) http://www.speedtest.net/my-result/a/2170838859

Gold Coast

  • Surfer’s Paradise – Cavill Ave – Several along the mall part (Best speeds 25/31 Mbps)
  • Broad Beach Pacific Fair – (Best speeds 33/48 Mbps)

Western Australia

Perth

  • Cannington – Location not specified (Best speeds 27/9 Mbps)
  • Perth CBD – Hay Street (Best Speeds 47/5 Mbps)

Victoria

Geelong

  • Grovedale – Peter Street (Best speeds 8/21 Mbps)
  • Belmont – High Street (Best speeds 18/20 Mbps)
  • Newtown – Pakington Street (Best speeds 11/18 Mbps)
  • Geelong West – Pakington Street (Best speeds 12/15 Mbps)
  • Geelong – Westfield Telstra Store – Level 1 (Best speeds 244/286 Mbps)

Melbourne

  • CBD – Telstra Store corner Bourke & Swanston (30/25 Mbps)

Tasmania

Hobart

  • Battery Point – Salamanca Place (Best speeds 111/63 Mbps)

Telstra Air Speed

Public phone booths with a pink top act as a Telstra Air hotspot. They are set up with an ADSL2+ connection providing a maximum download speed of 20 Mbps and upload speed of 1 Mbps. However, this depends on the distance to the exchange and other users connected to the hotspot or ADSL2+ network.

Some Telstra stores are set up with a Fibre connection with a network speed of 100 Mbps. Residential modems have download speed limited to 2 Mbps and upload speed of 1 Mbps with a user limit of one person per hotspot.

Network Connection

Each hotspot broadcasts 2 SSID’s: ‘Fon Wi-Fi’ and ‘Telstra Air’. Both of them lead to the same captive portal and provide the exact speed. You will be redirected to the login page. If you are not redirected, then manually forcibly connect to www.telstra.com.au/airconnect

You will remain logged in for 12 hours and then will be redirected to the login page.

Is Public Wi-Fi Safe?

Public Wi-Fi is safe for general web browsing, music streaming or social media. But remember that it is unencrypted. Therefore, there is a high chance that third parties can intercept your data. So, never use public Wi-Fi for important things like online banking.

ryan broadwater
Ryan Broadwater

Ryan Broadwater is the telecom guy at Austele.com. He's been unpacking all the tricky stuff about Aussie phone plans and network tech for over 8 years, making it super simple to figure out what’s best for you.

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