Alex Zaharov-Reutt
Thursday, 29 July 2010 19:05
Your IT -
Mobility
Page 1 of 2
Not only are MasterChefs, US pop stars, British billionaires and Sydney nightclub hotspots all clamouring for the iPhone 4, there could well be a rush from city, rural and regional users on Telstra who wanted an iPhone with the superior “Blue Tick” certification, because they can now get it!
The case to make the iPhone a Blue Tick phone has finally been made, and granted, and it looks like it’s all down to the superior antenna Apple has created that, on one hand gives better reception, but on the other hand, needs that case!
When Apple put its antenna on the outside, people include myself wondered whether being able to physically touch that antenna was a good idea, or not.
It turns out that there’s a major weak spot in the antenna, that when touched, can cause your signal to drop – if you’re in an area of bad reception to begin with. But… put on a genuine Apple “bumper” or another iPhone 4 case, and because you can no longer touch the antenna or its weak spot, the problem simply goes away.
Because the iPhone 4’s antenna actually works so much better than previous models, with overseas tests showing the iPhone 4 giving phone service where the iPhone 3GS didn’t, it looks like those improvements have been enough – when combined with an “approved” case or bumper – to meet Telstra’s requirements for Blue Tick certification.
Blue Tick is the logo Telstra uses to show which phones give better performance in rural and regional areas, or even areas in cities where the mighty Next G signal on a “regular, non-Blue Tick” phone doesn’t quite reach.
Now, Telstra isn’t saying that you have to use the bumper in metro areas, but if you’re a rural and regional user and want the extra signal strength an approved bumper, which is covering the antenna, can deliver… an iPhone 4 now qualifies. Good!
The iPhone 4 not only works on Telstra’s 850MHz 3.5G network, as well as the regular 2100MHz 3.5G network, but also Vodafone and Optus’ 900MHz network used in rural and regional areas, so in theory the same applies for the 900MHz network too, not that Optus or Vodafone have yet made any announcements on that front.
So, how did Telstra test the iPhone 4 for Blue Tick status, which bumpers and cases are “approved” by Telstra for Blue Tick configuration, and what are “Telstra’s Tips” for better reception?
Telstra has put together a blog post explaining it all, and while
it’s here, I’ve reprinted it for you below:
“Many people have asked us about how they can get the best coverage performance from the iPhone 4 when it launches on Friday. So we’ve assembled some tips based on our Next G network testing.
“The first thing to know is that the iPhone 4, without the use of accessories, is approved by Telstra for handheld use in metro and major regional coverage areas. These are the areas marked as “voice, picture, TV, video and broadband” on the Telstra Next G coverage maps that can be
found here.
“Tip 1 – Enjoy Blue Tick equivalent coverage on iPhone 4 in regional coverage areas with an approved bumper or case
“The great news for our regional and rural customers is that an approved rubberised bumper or case can help to maximise the coverage performance of the iPhone 4. In fact, the handheld coverage performance is improved so that it is equivalent to one of our Telstra ‘Blue Tick’ devices.
“We award our Blue Tick to mobiles that have the best coverage performance and recommend them to customers working or living in regional and rural coverage areas.
“A bumper, in case you’re wondering, is a rubber accessory that fits snugly around the edges of a mobile phone.”
Telstra’s tips, the approved cases, its testing methodology and my final comments
are on page two, please read on!
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