Telstra's second go at national public wi-fi

Update: Telstra has released details of the new national wi-fi network. Click through to find out more.

Telstra today announced the rollout of a national public wi-fi network in order to boost the amount of coverage available to customers of its broadband network.

The rollout will cost $100 million and will boost Telstra's existing geographic coverage of the majority of Australian homes and businesses through the use of new, Telstra-built wi-fi hot spots, along with similar wireless access points provided by its broadband customers.

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Two years ago, Telstra shut down its previous national network of wireless hot spots, which was available free to subscribers of its fixed iPhone plans or at 20c per minute for those not on an iPhone plan.

It discontinued that service - which in 2005 contained around 400 hot spots - due to a lack of profit.

"Over time we've found that our customers prefer the convenience of taking their own internet connectivity with them through the use of mobile broadband," a spokesperson told sister publication iTnews at the time.

"This transition away from wireless hotspot usage has also been driven by the availability of fast 3G mobile coverage and more affordable data pricing."

At the time the telco said it planned to use its 4G network to accommodate growing user demand.