[LINK] CDMA closure may stall

Bernard Robertson-Dunn brd at iimetro.com.au
Mon Jun 25 13:44:48 AEST 2007


<brd>
It's becoming a mantra....
A flood of complaints has the federal Government concerned about xxxx becoming an election issue
where xxxx could be an number of things, in this case mobile coverage.
</brd>

CDMA closure may stall
Michael Sainsbury
June 25, 2007
The Australian IT
http://australianit.news.com.au/story/0,24897,21960661-15306,00.html

TELSTRA may be forced to delay the shutdown of its CDMA network after a flood of complaints has convinced the Government that regional mobile phone coverage is a bigger election issue than the provision of faster internet services.

A flood of complaints has the federal Government concerned about mobile coverage becoming an election issue

Postponing the network's closure would punch a hole in Telstra chief executive Sol Trujillo's $11billion "transformation" plan for the telco, which operates four mobile networks.

Telstra plans to close its CDMA network, which still supports up to 1.5million users, on January 28 next year.

Telstra has basically finished the replacement NextG national network, but as customers move across, the number of user grievances has risen sharply.

A Telstra call centre source said problems with the third-generation network were a significant source of complaints.

Communications Minister Helen Coonan said she had written to Mr Trujillo asking that the company reconsider its timetable, which Queensland Nations MP Paul Neville described as ambitious.

"I am getting floods of complaints about the handsets, the dropouts, and so I have formally raised it with Telstra," Senator Coonan told The Australian.

"I wrote formally suggesting that it would be appropriate that we look at the time frame and how this was going to be consistent with assurances that the coverage be equivalent or better."

Senator Coonan has the power to make coverage a condition of Telstra's licence. After the replacement of the original analogue network with CDMA triggered an avalanche of complaints from the bush in 1999, the Government regulated to ensure similar coverage.

Telstra yesterday insisted that it would stick to its own timetable.

"Telstra's NextG network is performing in accordance with our expectations and we are on track to deliver coverage equal to or better than CDMA by end of 2007," spokesman Peter Taylor said.

"Telstra is tweaking network coverage all the time."

Mr Neville said the feedback he was receiving in the bush contradicted this assurance.

"Farmers are telling me they know which paddocks they get CDMA in and they are not getting the same coverage with NextG," he said.

"Sol Trujillo made a promise to the Nationals partyroom that there would be equivalence, and if there were blackspots, Telstra would fill them.

"You can either get it or your can't and I am adamant that nothing should be taken on trustuntil there is absolute equivalence."

The Government's tougher new stance on mobiles has coincided with last week's release of its broadband plan, which included a $958million grant to Telstra's competitor Optus to build new networks in regional Australia.

NSW Nationals senator Fiona Nash said mobile coverage was a more immediate and widespread issue with voters in the bush than the provision of high-speed internet services.

"While broadband is certainly an issue, the most immediate thing my constituents are talking to me is the move to NextG and its coverage," Senator Nash said.

"They are not happy at this stage that it's good enough."

-- 
Regards
brd

Bernard Robertson-Dunn
Sydney Australia
brd at iimetro.com.au

 




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