Telstra switches on free wi-fi at its payphones across Australia

First Telstra made calls from its public payphones free and now the telco is turning selected payphones into free wi-fi hotspots to allow more Australians to freely access the internet.

Now anyone who needs help or who wants to connect to loved ones to let them know they’re safe after a natural disaster can log into a Telstra payphone’s free wireless network.

Around 3,000 Telstra payphones across Australia will offer free wi-fi with the goal of upgrading the entire network of up to 12,000 payphones to become wi-fi hotspots.

“While a lot of us take connectivity for granted these days, many isolated or vulnerable people, although they may have access to a mobile device, don’t always have the data to be able to connect,” says Telstra Group Executive for Consumer and Small Business Michael Ackland.

“Free wi-fi has the potential to make a massive difference in their ability to stay connected to family and friends and access essential services.

“And while it’s especially important for our community’s most vulnerable, our free wi-fi is available for everyone – whether you’re a Telstra customer or not.

“So if you’re out and about, have run out of data and need to connect with mum on the family chat, you can get online and get in contact.

Telstra prioritised more than 1,000 payphones in disaster-prone regional areas.

“In recent years we’ve seen payphones play a vital role for communities facing disasters like bushfires or floods,” Ackland said.

“By providing free wi-fi, as well as free national calls at our payphones, we want to help Australians when they need us most so they can connect with loved ones and access the help they need.”

Telstra offered free calling through its payphones in August last year and since then there have been almost 19 million free calls and more than 250,000 calls made to critical services like Triple Zero (000) and Lifeline. Centrelink was the most dialled service from payphones in the past year.

“Since we made calls free from payphones last year, we’ve seen a 70 per cent rise in call volumes across the country, showing the humble Telstra payphone still has an important role to play,” Mr Ackland said.

“Payphones are supporting communities nation-wide, and while the Northern Territory has the highest number of free calls made, our single strongest performing payphone sits in Melbourne’s CBD within community housing.”

Users can log in to the free Telstra wi-fi by looking for a “free Telstra Wi-Fi” branded payphone and connect to the free Telstra Wi-Fi network.