On a recent seven week of travelling in Europe, I was looking forward to accessing the Internet using my Telstra Air account on FON hotspots around Europe.
What a disappointment.
Although having read the Telstra guidelines, installing their “Air” app on my devices, I found that connections to the Internet were very rare.
There were none in any airports or train stations.
Supposedly it would be available in Spain, Italy, Austria, Germany and France.
In Spain I spent time in Madrid and Barcelona. Score: 0, not one Fon connection made.
In Italy, I spent time in Milan and Cinque Terre. Score: 1, one connection made in Milan.
In Austria, I spent time in and Salzburg and Vienna. Score: 0, no connections established.
In Germany, I spent time in Munich, Heidelberg, and Frankfurt airport. Also we spent time in many small towns around southern and western Germany in a rented car.
Score: 7/10 Several good connections made as we drove through some smaller towns. This would happen at Red traffic lights and slow driving in traffic.
In France, we spent time in the Alsace region. Score: 0.
We also spent about a week in Switzerland, but we already knew that there would be no Fon there as telcos there do not participate in Fon..
Luckily we had Internet provided at each place we stayed overnight.
In summary: Do not rely on your Telstra Air account in Europe.