Telecom New Zealand believes travellers across New Zealand will find it’s now easier to stay connected. The operator has announced the addition of new Telecom wireless hotspots, including Queenstown airport, Auckland’s Britomart transport centre and Downtown Ferry Building.

“We are also now looking into providing the Telecom wireless hotspot service on the ferries and in the future onto planes and trains,” says Paul Stoddart, Head of Telecom WiFi. “Our aim is ubiquitous coverage, keeping people connected wherever they go and however they want.”

To use any of Telecom’s 200-plus wireless hotspots across New Zealand, users will need to have a WiFi enabled laptop computer or PDA and an Xtra account. Xtra is Telecom New Zealand's ISP (Internet Service Provider).

The service is being offered free of charge to Xtra customers until 31 July 2005 and will be charged at NZ$9.95 an hour. Usage will be charged directly to users’ Telecom bill with the usual Xtra charges.

Also, any user, Xtra customer or otherwise, can surf the Xtra MSN site for free from any of the Telecom wireless hotspot locations. To do so, the user just needs to turn on their WiFi enabled device at any of the locations and the site will come up automatically.

Telecom wireless hotspots allow Xtra customers to surf the Internet within a wireless environment from their WiFi enabled laptop or PDA (802.11g or 802.11b). Hotels, cafés, libraries, convention centres and petrol stations are among some of the 200-plus venues that are set up as Telecom wireless hotspots throughout New Zealand.