Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Monday, 28 April 2008 04:47
Opinion and Analysis
Page 1 of 2
Hear ye, hear ye: all those with a CDMA mobile still connected, make
your last calls, your last calls. Today’s the day, tonight’s the night,
the CDMA network will switch out its light.
No last reprieves for the CDMA network, no last minute appeals to the governor – the CDMA network has been on death row for the last two and a half years, and tonight’s the night it gets the big zap.
Telstra says it’s the closure of a “significant chapter in the history of telecommunications in Australia” and ranks up right next to the old AMPS analogue network closure – although the equally ageing GSM network is still going strong – despite it too being vastly outclassed by the 3.5G technologies of the Next G network.
Telstra Country Wide Director, Gary Goldsworthy, said: “At midnight tonight Telstra will commence the carefully planned closure of the redundant CDMA mobile network. Today really is the last chance for remaining CDMA customers to move across to a new mobile network, such as the Telstra Next G network, and remain connected.”
Goldsworthy re-iterated yet again just how superior the Next G network is, even though there are still some remaining coverage issues: “CDMA technology has served Australia well over the years but has now been superseded by more advanced third generation mobile technology such as the Telstra Next G network, which carries about 7.5 times the data carried on the CDMA network at its peak.”
Of course, Telstra’s engineers haven’t been having a picnic over the last couple of years. They’ve been busy building out the Next G network – and getting ready for CDMA’s closure.
Goldsworthy explained that: “Our team has been preparing for the closure of the CDMA network for more than two years and nothing has been left to chance. CDMA customers have been individually contacted by phone, letter and SMS messages in an effort to remind them of the need to migrate to a new mobile network.”
But tonight’s the night the noose will get tight and the bite will be taken out of ye olde CDMA.
“At midnight AEST, our engineering team will progressively turn off the CDMA network and from that time on CDMA customers won’t be able to send or receive any phone calls, text or data,” Mr Goldsworthy said.
So, how will the shutdown process proceed? Please read onto page 2.
