Hertz has introduced a portable wi-fi service in Australia in a first for the country’s car rental industry. Hertz has introduced pocket-sized 3G units for rent to enable customers to connect to the Internet from anywhere in Australia for a fraction of the cost of mobile roaming or hotel Internet charges. The launch builds on the success of the company’s mobile wi-fi programme in New Zealand, the UK, Spain and the Canary Islands.
The portable wi-fi units can be rented from Hertz’s airport locations in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, Perth, Adelaide, Darwin and Cairns. The rechargeable wi-fi units offer secure, high-speed Internet coverage for up to five hours and a generous daily data limit of 150 megabytes, enabling business and leisure travellers, both domestic and international, to stay connected throughout their journey in Australia. Units come with a USB cable for easy recharging.
For business travellers, the mobile wi-fi units enable email connections and ongoing contact with the office, customers or family at home, as well as enabling simultaneous connection of up to five devices, including laptop computers, smart phones and tablets. The wi-fi units make it easy for leisure travellers to stay in touch with friends and family, providing the ability to upload photos or videos or to converse via Skype, while also allowing multiple users to connect at the same time.
Priced at AUD$12.00 per day plus tax, the new units can reduce global roaming data charges by up to 90%, while cutting by up to half the daily charges that apply for Internet access in hotel rooms. Telephone calling costs can be reduced significantly by using Skype through the mobile wi-fi connection, while social media or online news can be accessed easily without large data charges.
Hertz has partnered with technology company IDataRoam International to provide the mobile wi-fi service, which is already being used successfully in New Zealand. Hertz customers can easily purchase additional data volume online at IDataRoam.com if required.
