HOBART 市区附近将会有免费的无线网络

WORLD AWAITS: Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief executive officer Daniel Hanna in Salamanca Square, one of the wi-fi hotspots. Picture: RAOUL KOCHANOWSKI

Hotspot trial for net-savvy travellers

DAMIEN BROWN
November 16, 2008 02:00am

FREE wireless internet hotspots will be rolled out in Tasmania's business districts and tourist towns.

A trial of the service begins today when a six-month $100,000 pilot program in Hobart's waterfront area is switched on.
It will allow people in the precinct to access wi-fi internet for free on their laptops or portable internet devices such as Blackberries or iPods.

Usage will be capped and once the free limit is reached the user will be prompted to pay.

The scheme is being managed by the State Government and the Tasmanian Electronic Commerce Centre.

Tasmania will be one of only a handful of locations in the world to implement the wireless revolution in this way.

Premier David Bartlett said: "This is the ideal place for this to be happening first because it has such a diverse mix of people in the tourism industry, traditional industries, creative industries as well as government public servants who can access the internet anywhere on the waterfront."

Mr Bartlett said the Government wanted to use the pilot project to create a business plan that would allow the provider to offer the service in all cities and tourist towns.

"We want to use the six-month pilot period to create a business plan that allows the current internet providers with a model that can allow us to offer this in every tourist town and every CBD of every city in Tasmania.

"We don't want to be cutting the lunch of the current providers, but instead use this to build more business."

After the trial, Mr Bartlett said, he expected a business plan would be included in future budgets to allow the system to be rolled out statewide.

"Essentially you can go down there and check your emails but you won't be able to stream movies.

"It will take you to a point and that is when you would have to pay for a private provider."

There are other ways to access free wi-fi that require knowing an internet subscriber's password or linking to a subscriber who does not use password protection.

The log-in screen will feature tourist information and other advertising targeting travellers.

Mr Bartlett said people could check what was happening in museums or view restaurant menus online -- and then book a table.

Tourism Industry Council of Tasmania chief executive officer Daniel Hanna said the wireless network would bring Tasmania from the bottom of the pile to the forefront in internet access and technology.

"More and more visitors travel with their electronic equipment to stay in contact," Mr Hanna said.

"This will allow them to do that but also allows us as a destination to get vital information to them at the same time."

Good News

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