Napthine-Rich-Phillips – Free public Wi-Fi pilot connecting Victorians

· First free public Wi-Fi locations for central Melbourne, central
Ballarat and central Bendigo now live and available
· 1,000 more Wi-Fi locations to be delivered across Victoria by iiNet by
December 2015
· Napthine Government building a better connected Victoria by providing
fast, reliable and consistent Wi-Fi

Premier Denis Napthine, together with Minister for Technology Gordon Rich-Phillips today announced the first three live sites that service provider iiNet will deliver through Victoria’s free public Wi-Fi pilot.

“These three pilot sites are the first of 1000 sites that will provide a free, fast and reliable Wi-Fi service in central Melbourne, central Ballarat, and central Bendigo. They are located in and around public infrastructure, including transport hubs and tourist attractions such as the Queen Victoria Market,” Dr Napthine said.

“The Victorian Coalition Government is investing $6.7 million for the construction, management and maintenance of the pilot service for five years.”

Dr Napthine said the pilot aimed to develop tourism, education and social inclusion, encourage new business models and create a consistent Wi-Fi experience for residents and visitors.

“It will help improve the tourism experience, draw more digital entrepreneurs to Victoria, support small businesses and education sector, and provide additional communications support during emergencies,” Dr Napthine said.

Mr Rich-Phillips said the Napthine Government is partnering with the City of Melbourne, City of Ballarat and City of Greater Bendigo for the pilot, to deliver a total of 1000 hotspot locations throughout the three cities.

“Importantly, it will provide Victorians who don’t have internet access at home or mobile internet with a means of getting online to access information about government services, employment and public transportation,” Mr Rich-Phillips said

“This pilot is part of the Victorian Coalition Government’s agenda to establish infrastructure that enables ‘smart city’ initiatives to strengthen Victoria’s position as Australia’s leading technology state.”

“The Wi-Fi network makes use of existing public infrastructure, such as light poles, bus shelters and government buildings, and is available outdoors,” Mr Rich-Phillips said.

Mr Rich-Phillips said that users can access fast free internet at hotspots across the Melbourne, Ballarat and Bendigo CBDs.

“The service will not carry advertising, request personal email addresses or passwords, or collect browsing history,” Mr Rich-Phillips said.

“There is a 250MB download limit per device per day – which allows up to three hours of constant web browsing or 200 photos to be shared on social media.

“When activated, the free Wi-Fi service will start helping locals, visitors, and people meeting or working outdoors, and be invaluable during emergencies when telecommunications networks are under pressure,” Mr Rich-Phillips said.