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Fuzzy Logic Big day for Telstra with plenty of announcements
Fuzzy Logic Big day for Telstra with plenty of announcements | Big day for Telstra with plenty of announcements |
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| by Alex Zaharov-Reutt | |
| Thursday, 01 November 2007 | |
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Page 2 of 2 Another new phone is the Telstra branded phone from Chinese manufacturer ZTE. Dubbed the Telstra 165 Country Phone, it has been specifically designed for rural and regional use, with an antenna stub and even an old-school pull out aerial for even better coverage. The 165 is compatible with existing CDMA on-car antennas, and according to Telstra, matches and betters CDMA coverage. Featured Whitepaper
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For rural and regional users needing the best long distance coverage, the 165 is actually quite a stylish phone with nice big buttons making it easy to use, and gives rural and regional customers the same capabilities city mobile users have from almost anywhere, provided the additional car antenna is used when really off the beaten track. While the feedback from tests indicate the coverage to be as good as or better than CDMA, it will be interesting to see what the wider feedback is from customers in general across country areas over the next few weeks as the 165 is purchased by consumers, as Telstra battles with the Government to switch off the CDMA network early in 2008 so Telstra can focus on improving the Next G network even further. A new mobile payments system called T-Pad is also being rolled out by Telstra and American Express, providing a ‘fast secure solution for Australian small business customers to pay on the spot’. Featuring the T-Pad device with credit card slot for reading the magnetic stripe of anyone’s credit or debit card, the device works over Bluetooth with Windows Smartphones and selected phones loaded with Java, including the Nokia 6120c, Motorola V3xx, Motorola V6 Maxx, Palm Treo 750, I-mate JASJAM and Samsung Blackjack. Telstra say the Mobile Payments system “allows businesses to quickly and securely collect payment using a new compact credit card swipe terminal called the T-Pad and their Next G™ mobile handset – removing the hassle of handling cash or cheques or chasing up payment at a later date”. Telstra say that transactions are approved in near real-time and receipts can be issued via SMS or e-mail. Importantly, Telstra say that “no sensitive credit card information is stored on either the T-Pad or the Next G mobile handset, offering greater security and confidence for both the business user and their customers”. Telstra Business Group Managing Director, Ms Deena Shiff, said the T-Pad gave a wide range of small businesses trading outside a shop or office environment a clear commercial advantage. “We understand managing cash flow is important to the success of every small business,” Ms Shiff said. “This new business tool provides direct payment into your bank account, which means fewer outstanding invoices to chase or cheques to clear. “Through an online portal you can also review payments made, process refunds and easily export data to popular accounting systems, increasing productivity and reducing the amount of time and effort required at tax time. For customers it’s a convenient and secure way to pay on the day.” Telstra Mobile Payments processes payments from American Express and all major credit cards and charge cards as well as selected debit cards. American Express is one of the first financial services provider in Australia to actively promote Telstra Mobile Payments to its merchant customers. The T-Pad device has 12 hours of battery life, although in practice this will be longer as the unit will be off most of the time, only needing to be turned on when the credit or debit card is removed from someone’s wallet to pay the T-Pad owner for whatever product or service they have rendered to the customer. Telstra are also launching two interactive spaces – one for retail customers on the corner of George and King Sts in the Sydney CDB, and a interactive solutions centre for business on the fourth floor of the Telstra offices at 400 George St in Sydney. No doubt Sol Trujillo will have some other surprises up his sleeve for customers, investors and journalists, but whatever the outcome the range of phones on Next G has grown, showing that major manufacturers are embracing the 850Mhz Next G frequency (also in use by AT&T in the US and Rogers in Canada), putting pressure on local telco competitors who don’t have 3G and 3.5G networks anywhere near as large as the Next G network. What competitors responses will be will also be interesting to see as the day unfolds, as they strive to offer competitive features of their own to keep customers on their own respective networks. Whatever you think of Telstra, it’s a great day for more customer choices and faster speeds, along with some flagship phones from Nokia and Samsung to add some extra oomph and panache to the existing Next G handset lineup. Come back to iTWire for more news and information on the different Telstra events throughout the day as they unfold. |
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