Telstra challenges “ludicrous” Optus to get “independent audit”

by Alex Zaharov-Reutt

Thursday, 28 August 2008

Page 1 of 3 ! Incensed at Optus’ claims of being able to go “head to head” with Telstra, the big T has hit back at Optus, saying it has made “ludicrous” claims and should put its network where its mouth is. At the 2008 Telecommunications Summit in Sydney yesterday, Maha Krishnapillai, the Director of Government and Corporate Affairs at Optus told the assembled masses, as quoted in a ZDNet report, that: “We are very pleased to announce we hit 85 per cent as of today in terms of 3G availability across the country." Krisnapillai also said that: “For the first time we believe that we will be going head to head with Telstra”, and claimed that Optus was better off building its network in 2008 over Telstra which built it a couple of years earlier, saying: “We have the luxury of putting our network in those places where the population centres are in 2008.” These claims must have made Telstra furious, because it has just released a media statement effectively telling Optus to put up or shut up, although I’m paraphrasing as I am sometimes wont to do. Telstra has pointedly told Optus to “have its 3G network coverage independently audited to back up claims it is in a position to go head to head with Telstra.” Leading the anti-Optus charge is Geoff Booth, the Group MD of Telstra Country Wide, saying that Optus’ claims of “only 85% of the population with its 3G network showed just how far Optus had lets its investment in mobiles slip.” Of course, Telstra says this because its 850MHz network is already at 99%, and thus puts everyone else in a position of “catch up”. Booth explains that: “Telstra built and switched on the Next G network in just ten months, providing voice and high speed wireless broadband services to 98 per cent of the population back in October 2006, and we hit 99 per cent population coverage earlier this year. “Nearly two years later and the Optus’ 3G coverage footprint is still miniscule in comparison.” So, what else does Telstra say in slamming Optus, and why? Please read on to page 2. << First page <   1 2 3 Next page > Last page - Post your comment >>

 

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