BRISBANE AIRPORT BECOMES WIFI HOTSPOT

Brisbane Airport Corporation (BAC) has joined forces with Optus to become the first airport in Australia to provide WiFi hotspots at both its domestic and international terminals - delivering the latest mobile data technology direct to people on the move.

WiFi or wireless broadband allows users to connect laptops or personal digital assistants to the internet without the need for cables.

Opening the Wireless Connect Zones today, Member for Clayfield Liddy Clark said: "Queensland is a hotspot for a holiday, a hotspot for business and now it is a hotspot for technology.

"These new hotspots are yet another example of the 'smart state' connecting locals and visitors alike to the information superhighway."

Brisbane Airport Corporate CEO Koen Rooijmans said the airport is a gateway to tens of thousands of local and overseas visitors every day. These high-speed wireless connections make downloading information such as emails easier and faster.

"Now we can offer our visitors the chance to get fast and secure access to internet without the need to plug into a wall.

"One of the advantages of BAC's hotspots is that you don't have to be a member of an airline club to get WiFi. We are offering this service in various areas of the airport to anyone with a WiFi card."

Allen Lew, Managing Director, Optus Mobile said, "Simply by dropping into one of our Wireless Connect Zones, users of Brisbane Airport can check their email or surf the net."

"Internet Cafés have proven popular with travelers. Hotspots offer the same convenience to users who carry their own computer and don't want to have to connect copious cables to walls."

There are Optus Wireless Connect Zones at Brisbane Airport in both the international and domestic terminals. Optus has committed to opening 500 new hotspots at locations around Australia over the next 12 - 18 months.

For more information:
Simone Bergholcs
Corporate Affairs Executive
Optus Corporate Affairs
Tel: (02) 9342 7846
Mobile: 0412 206 602

Lea Crombie
Corporate Communications Manager
Brisbane Airport Corporate
Tel: (07) 3406 5775
Mobile: 0418 754 990