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Have you seen Telstra Air pop up on your list of available networks when you're searching out a Wi-Fi connection? If you've got an existing mobile or broadband plan with Telstra, you can actually hop onto these for free broadband access.
Telstra Air is a national Wi-Fi network built and maintained by Australia's largest telecommunications company. Telstra customers can access free Wi-Fi data from 1 million hotspot locations nation-wide on their phone, laptop or other Wi-Fi capable device.
It's freely available to customers who have one of the following services:
You can also get temporary access to Telstra Air by purchasing a Telstra Air guest pass.
If you have an eligible, activated Telstra service, all you need to do is turn your device's Wi-Fi on and select "Telstra Air" from the list of available networks. You are allowed to have up to three devices connected at the same time, logging in with your Telstra ID each time.
To connect more easily, you can use the Telstra Air app, which:
You can buy a temporary guest pass when you attempt to connect to a Telstra Air Wi-Fi hotspot and don't have a valid Telstra ID. A browser window will open up, letting you select one of the following passes:
Alternatively, you can use the Telstra Air app.
Remember, you can also get Telstra Air access on any of Telstra's home or mobile broadband plans. We've shown Telstra mobile plans below as it's a cheaper and simpler way to get access to Telstra Air.
Telstra Air uses a mix of three different kinds of hotspots to create availability Australia-wide and overseas:
With 1 million hotspots around Australia, it's impossible to list everywhere that Telstra Air is available. However, it's widely accessible at a few different kinds of locations:
If you're unsure if Telstra Air is available, you can always turn your device's Wi-Fi on and browse through what's around, or find a hotspot with Telstra's postcode tracker.
Those with access to Telstra Air can also hop onto Fon Wi-Fi hotspots overseas, which also offer free Wi-Fi on the go. The Fon Wi-Fi network has 23 million locations internationally, most of which are located in Europe.
Telstra Air is a free add-on for customers with an eligible plan. All of the data you use on Telstra Air is free and unmetered, and doesn't count against any plan data inclusions.
Alternatively, you can pay anywhere between $5 and $30 for a temporary guest pass if you don't have ongoing access.
Telstra Air speeds are highly variable, depending on what hotspot you're accessing and how strong your signal is. Your connection is likely to fall into one of the following three speed tiers:
For most cases, expect to fall somewhere in the second tier.
Unlike those with mobile plans, Telstra home broadband customers have to meet a couple of requirements to get access to Telstra Air:
Technically, yes, but it's not recommended. It's possible to purchase a super cheap Telstra mobile plan (say, 1GB for $10 prepaid) and get easy access to the Telstra Air network. Then, if you happen to live right on top of a Telstra Air hotspot, you could connect to it for all your Internet needs. However, there are many downsides, including:
Yes, Telstra Air is free for Telstra customers. If you're not a Telstra customer but wish to use a Telstra Air hotspot, you'll need to purchase a guest pass.
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I am using mobile hotspot for my email service. I am able to receive emails but not send. Please advise what to do.
Hi Alex,
Thank you for getting in touch with Finder.
Since it is a technical issue, kindly get in touch with Telstra’s technical team regarding this matter as they have to provide further info/instruction like your outgoing server port number or using the SMTP setting etc.
I hope this helps.
Thank you and have a wonderful day!
Cheers,
Jeni