Domestic and international travellers can now enjoy free fast wireless internet connectivity at 40 Qantas lounges nationally, following completion of the roll-out of a new Optus WiFi solution.

The Optus WiFi service is available to all Qantas Club and Qantas First and Business Lounge customers at domestic and international terminals at 20 capital city and regional airports, including Adelaide, Brisbane, Canberra, Darwin, Hobart, Melbourne, Perth and Sydney.

Travellers can also connect to the WiFi service at major regional ports, including Alice Springs, Broome, Coffs Harbour, Cairns, Karratha, Kalgoorlie, Launceston, Mackay, Port Headland, Townsville and Rockhampton.

Qantas Domestic Chief Executive Officer Lyell Strambi said Qantas was committed to providing passengers with the best experience from the time they arrive at an airport to leaving the airport at their destination.

“This provides customers with the highest quality WiFi service, which is not matched by any other airline at Australian airports,” Mr Strambi said.

“The feedback from Qantas Frequent Flyers and regular customers who have used Optus WiFi in our lounges has been overwhelmingly positive.”

The WiFi roll-out commenced in November last year, with Sydney Airport T3 Domestic the first terminal to switch on the new service and finished this month at Canberra Airport.
The service is supplied by Optus Business in partnershi with Alphawest as part of a five-year managed services contract.

John Paitaridis, Optus Business Managing Director, said “We’re excited to bring high speed WiFi to Qantas Club lounges so that members can have a great online experience. The growing popularity of WiFi-enabled devices such as tablets means that travellers now expect to stay connected to the web at all times and remain productive when out of the office.

The award-winning project took out the telecommunications technology category in the national 2012 Project Management Achievement Awards (PMAA) held earlier this month.

Media contact:
Derek Lau
Optus Corporate Affairs
Tel: (02) 8082 7850

Luke Enright
Qantas Corporate Affairs
Tel: 0428 527 960

Note to editors
The new WiFi service is comprised of the following technology:
– Cisco 802.11n-grade wireless routers
– Optus Evolve IP VPN network and Optus Evolve Internet to deliver the Wi-Fi connectivity
– Optus Evolve Internet Security as a Service (SECaaS) to provide content filtering of all internet traffic and ensure appropriate security

The scope of managed services provided by Optus Business includes Wide Area Network (WAN), Local Areas Network (LAN) and Wireless Network management, and ongoing support and maintenance of the WiFi infrastructure.