A new agreement between Cairns Airport and CQUniversity Australia will help to establish the airport as one of the nation’s most study friendly transit hubs.
The agreement between the two organisations will see AARNet Eduroam added to the Airport’s WIFI network.
While the addition of Eduroam to the Airport has primarily been established to support aviation students studying at CQUniversity’s Aviation precinct, the network will also be available to all students and staff from other Eduroam connected universities and institutions.
Eduroam allows users from participating institutions to gain free, secure wireless network access at participating institutions across Australia and around the globe, using the standard username and password credentials they use at their home institution for wireless network access.
Eduroam is available at more than 25,000 locations worldwide and in Australia, 40 universities participate in Eduroam, as well as several research institutes, hospitals, schools and cultural organisations.
Cairns Airport chief executive Richard Barker said that the addition of the network means that students and staff from these organisations, who are transiting through Cairns Airport would now be able to logon with ease to complete urgent tasks, check emails and study while they wait to board flights.
“Our partnership with CQU has gone from strength to strength and through the upgrading of our T2 Domestic Terminal we’ve been able to offer Wi-Fi connectivity for university students, staff and academics. This will make Cairns Airport the most study friendly airport in Australia.
“Cairns Airport is a key domestic and international tourism and transit hub, so it is critical that we provide our passengers with services and facilities that meet their needs.
“People spend up to two hours at airports and a lot of that is downtime can used for study and Eduroam will facilitate this. Students from participating institutions will now be able to open their laptop or smartphone to have internet connectivity at the Airport.
“After having the network in place for the past month we have already averaged 600 devices connecting to Eduroam each week.
CQUniversity’s Associate Vice-President for the Cairns and Far North region, Ms Jodie Duignan-George said that the addition the Airport to the Eduroam network is another local initiative that is helping to position Cairns as an emerging education and research hub.
“Cairns is emerging as a great study and research destination for students and experts across Australia.
“With two universities and a great span of course offerings the region has a lot to offer.
“This will be a huge benefit to not just our aviation students who are based at the Airport, it will also benefit our online students and students from other institutions who visit Cairns for leisure or to complete residential schools or work placements,” said Ms Duignan George.
To access Eduroam staff and students from affiliated organisations will need to locate the Eduroam network on their laptop or mobile device and login using their regular institutional credentials.