CDMA: less than 100 days, but still 900,000 customers

Stuart Corner
Monday, 29 October 2007 11:57

Business IT - Networking

Unless the government intervenes, Telstra will close its CDMA network on 28 January, but the chairman of on its resellers, Fone Zone, has revealed that there are still almost 900,000 customers on the network.

Fone Zone's chairman, Brian Finn, told the company's AGM on 29 October that "there are still more than 880,000 CDMA customers who will need to move to the Next G network in the next few months and they represent significant potential for Telstra and Fone Zone. We intend to pursue that potential with great vigour."

The figure reveals just how little success Telstra has had in shifting these to its Next G network, the stellar growth in numbers on that network notwithstanding. At June 2005, six months before the CDMA shutdown was announced, there were 1.3 million CDMA customers.  A year later, despite knowledge of the impending closure the number had risen to 1.7 million and in June 2007 stood at 1.26 million.

On 22 October, Telstra Country Wide group managing director, Geoff Booth, was urging CDMA customers to make the switch, saying Telstra did not want any of its customers stranded without a mobile network.

"By migrating now customers can also avoid any last minute rush, be sure that they keep their mobile number and, if they are using prepaid, transfer any remaining credit," Booth said.

To encourage customers to make the move Telstra is offering $100 credit to postpaid CDMA customers who move to an eligible plan on the Next G network before 13 November 2007.

"We have also added a new reward, which now offers customers who purchase a Next G handset on a 36 month phone plan and have two or more other eligible products with Telstra a bonus handset every 12 or 18 months depending on whether they have 2, 3 or 4 other eligible product," Booth said.