Australian incumbent Telstra is set to create what it claims will be one of the world’s largest wifi networks under a A$100m plus deal with global hotspot network Fon.

The strategy aims to offer all Australians, irrespective of whether they are a Telstra customer or not, access to two million wifi hotspots across the nation within five years.

The network is scheduled to launch early 2015 and will also allow users to connect at more than 12 million international hotspots.

In line with the established Fon model,  Telstra will offer home broadband customers gateways that allow them to securely share a portion of their bandwidth with other Telstra wifi customers and in exchange access their own home broadband allowance at Fon-enabled Telstra hotspots across the nation.

Telstra CEO, David Thodey said: “Telstra’s new Wi-Fi network will broaden the choice of connection giving people a convenient way to get online using their portable devices when spending time at a hotspot. It will offer our customers the unique option to seamlessly use their home broadband allowance inside and outside the home.

“The opportunities go beyond connecting people. The city-wide availability of wifi coupled with the growth in the internet of things can help us improve the way we live in cities. Town planning, sustainability, traffic management, maintenance, public safety and the provision of government services are just some of the challenges that can be tackled by connecting sensors and objects with networks. This is an incredible opportunity and we are already in discussions with a number of councils to make smart cities a reality,” he said.

Non Telstra customers and Telstra customers who have not joined the wifi community will be able to connect to Fon-enabled hotspots for a small charge using day passes.

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