Telstra gets 'ok' to Close Down 'CDMA' Mobile Architecture

Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Tuesday, 15 April 2008 10:33

Business IT - Networking

Conroy says that Telstra’s own 1800 888 888 hotline has been a success, saying that: “The hotline was established to assist customers not receiving equivalent handheld coverage and as a result, Telstra has reported that thousands of those customers have received free handset upgrades or other equipment and assistance.”

Conroy also says that Telstra has promised that “it will now [send] SMS [messages to] remaining CDMA customers to inform them of the switch off and the need to contact Telstra to switch over. In addition to this Telstra has commitment to send two further SMSs to the customers 7 days and 24 hours before switch off, as well as personally writing to all the remaining CDMA customers.”

“Once the shut-down of the CDMA network is complete, Telstra will be able to focus its resources and energy on improving and expanding the Next G network, providing high levels of customer service to Next G customers, and to help the small number of customers still holding CDMA equipment.”

Telstra, of course, is delighted, with the Telstra Country Wide Group Managing Director, Mr Geoff Booth, ‘welcoming’ the Federal Government’s decision, and encouraging “customers remaining on the CDMA network to do the same as soon as possible.”

Confirming the Senator’s statements, Booth says that “We will be sending all CDMA customers a further letter and text messages to make sure they are aware of the final closure date, which is now just two weeks away. We have been talking to our customers about this closure for more than two years and most have already moved to the new network. Those remaining have been waiting for this decision, confirming once and for all the network will close on 28 April.”

Always happy to finish with a bit of Telstra flourish, Booth concluded by saying: “28 April will close a chapter in Australia’s mobile telecommunications history and cement a new era that, for the first time, gives rural and regional Australians access to the same world-leading services that are available to people in major metropolitan centres like Sydney and Melbourne.”

Now, onto winning that FTTN tender, I suppose, with relations between the Government and Telstra seemingly never better.

I just hope - whoever wins the FTTN tender - that prices will be affordable... far more affordable than current Next G pricing, especially for those in rural and regional areas with no access to competitive ADSL offerings.

Australia must be the clever, connected country - at affordable rates that allow all Australians to have access to real, fast, very high download cap broadband, lest the tyranny of distance be further abolished, only to be replaced by the tyranny of non-affordability!