Fluro Group x Optus: Creating safer, more connected spaces through real partnership

Fluro was born from a simple problem: a flat battery in a venue cuts you off - from friends, ordering, and even getting a safe ride home at the end of the night. What began as frustration around a single moment has grown into one of Australia’s fastest‑scaling tech startups – built to keep people safe, connected and confident wherever they are.

Whether it’s someone leaving a bar late at night, a traveller trying to board a flight, watching a footy game or even waiting in a hospital ward for a loved one, Fluro exists to make life easier – and safer – when staying connected really matters.

With Optus Business Centre Melbourne CBD as their connectivity partner, Fluro has transformed from a humble Melbourne based charging network into an international network that operates across Australia, New Zealand and Indonesia, supporting thousands of people every day.

A phone with no battery can derail more than a night out. It can leave people unable to order food, pay for drinks, book transport, contact loved ones and most importantly, feel safe.

Venues feel this disruption just as acutely. Patrons rely on mobile devices for tap-and-pay and QR-code ordering, while venue staff depend on phones and connected systems to operate efficiently. When batteries run flat, customers can often leave early, leading to lost revenue and operational friction for venues.

Fluro identified this everyday pain point as an opportunity: a way to give venues peace of mind and patrons confidence that they can stay connected.

To solve this problem at scale, and ultimately expand internationally, Fluro knew it needed the right foundations in place. First and foremost, this meant:

• Reliable connectivity in high-traffic venues such as pubs, stadiums, airports and hospitals, as well as in regional and coastal locations
• The ability to activate the SIMs on the chargers in the venues remotely when the charging stations went live
• A commercial model for Fluro that supported rapid growth without paying for unused data
• Access to real human support from a partner that understood the pace of a startup and their requirements
• A network capable of operating across Australia, with scope to expand internationally.

Most providers were unwilling to back a small pilot or adjust commercial models to support rapid growth. Fluro didn’t just need a telco – it needed a partner.

From the very first conversation, Optus Business Centre Melbourne CBD didn’t just offer a plan, they invested in understanding what Fluro was trying to build: a safer, more connected experience for every person walking into a venue.

Optus Business Centre Melbourne CBD delivered the coverage Fluro needed across high density metro and regional areas, enabling stations to stay online in locations from Torquay to Byron Bay to Perth.

Optus Business Centre Melbourne CBD recommended shifting Fluro to IoT SIMs, allowing:

• SIMs to be activated only when a station goes live
• Better cost management with no wasted data
• Full visibility over performance through the Optus Jasper Portal
• Rapid onboarding of new venues.
  
  

Fluro often needed quick answers: coverage checks, troubleshooting, SIM activations, exploring New Zealand and Indonesia roaming options. Optus Business Centre Melbourne CBD matched their urgency, picking up the phone, solving issues in real time and becoming a true extension of the Fluro operational team.

With the Optus network powering every station, Fluro launched industry first features that directly impact people and business outcomes:

• Fast-charging batteries
• Tap-and-go so customers can rent a power bank with a physical bank card, even if their phone is flat.
• Screen-based advertising to help venues boost promotions
• Station designs tailored to venue aesthetics.
• Fluro didn’t just solve a battery problem – they elevated the entire patron experience.

1. Safer Aussies

Fluro stations give people confidence that they can get home safely, call friends, access maps, and stay connected when they’re vulnerable.

2. Increased revenue and smoother operations

With phones charged, patrons can keep paying and using mobile apps. Staff waste less time charging devices behind the bar and POS terminals stay powered.

3. An international charging network built in under four years

Fluro has achieved +400% growth, year on year for four years straight. Starting with a simple IoT SIM order, the Optus Business Centre Melbourne CBD has helped to enable Fluro’s exponential scale at every step.

4. Impact in hospitals and communities

At Sydney’s St Vincent’s Hospital, Fluro stations help oncology patients stay connected during long, emotional waits.

In Bali, Fluro funds environmental programs through a partnership with the island’s largest community run clean-up program, Malu Dong, which focuses on protecting and restoring Bali’s local waterways through clean-ups and education campaigns – demonstrating Fluro’s commitment to giving back.

5. A brand Australians now recognise and trust

Trust isn’t built through advertising alone - it’s built through reliable performance.

In speaking with the Fluro team, they shared the story of a single battery that travelled more than 4,000 kilometres with a patron. The Fluro network is exactly that – a network. You can hire a battery in one location and return it in another.

This particular battery was hired at a venue in Sydney and, after what we can only assume was a big night out, ended up in someone’s top drawer, and eventually in their luggage. A month later, that same battery was returned. Not to the original venue. Not even to the same state. It was returned to a Fluro station at the Old Man’s venue in Bali.

That small act says a lot.

Fluro is designed for flexibility – for people on the move who need to charge their phones without disruption. But what stood out here wasn’t the technology. It was the act itself.

Someone, in another country, recognised the Fluro brand and chose to return a product they could easily have kept.

For Fluro, it was a reminder that when you build infrastructure that’s simple, fair and consistent, people respond in kind.

Fluro’s vision is bold: to create a connected experience wherever people go. Not just in hospitality, but across every street corner, gym, shopping centre, airport and more.

Over the next year, Fluro plans to:

• Deploy more than 2,000 new stations across Australasia
• Expand into Jakarta and further across Indonesia
• Enhance data insights for venues with live back-end tracking
• Increase safety-led features and integrations
• Grow community partnerships and environmental programs.

With Optus Business Centre Melbourne CBD as their ongoing partner, Fluro is ready to scale further, faster and more meaningfully – keeping people connected, safe and empowered in the moments that matter most.