Is CDMA To Remain on Air or Not?

[Chimo]

Hi All

Lifted from one of todays papers' so what is the go. Telstras pushing those of us who are hanging on the still reliable CDMA to change to Next g saying thae are going to close it down but according to the paper itsd not a done deal.

Anyone out there with any info?

If and I say If one has to go next G, what is the pick phone on the cheapest plan that gets coverage out to sea as well as bush coverage?

From the paper:-

"The Federal Government is waiting for an independent report, due on Monday, before deciding if Telstra can turn off its national CDMA phone network on January 28.

Telstra CDMA phones will stop working in less than four weeks -- with customers losing their personal mobile phone numbers by late February -- if new federal Communications Minister Stephen Conroy agrees to Telstra's shutdown plans.

A spokeswoman for Senator Conroy said the independent audit by the Australian Communications and Media Authority must find that the Next G mobile phone network gives the "same or better coverage" than the CDMA system before Telstra is permitted to switch off its CDMA network"

Cheers
Chimo

[deadbeatloser]

i will put money on it that it doesnt close down as they havnt got the same coverage on next g yet which will be the end of cdma when coverage is equal or greater on the new service. i think if you search threads you will find more info on this site
dbl

[plaztix]

I didn't think it still existed. They've been talking about closing it down for years. I guess like DBL said, until they get alternative networks to replace it in all areas then they will be shooting themselves in the foot if they close it down.

[Local_Guy]

once again telstra proves themselves by ending a service so all the people out there on CDMA have to go buy a new plan and buy a new phone..

not good for the consumer, but good for business. But why is it that none of the other companies upgrade thier coverage, or is it that they just aren't "telstra".

[FNQCairns]

What simply astounds me is that they were allowed to turn the signal strength of CDMA down to give justification for those connected to switch plans as their once capable CDMA phone was now for some reason degrading in signal strength.

With the liberals out the new government has the job of reading the regulations passed before their time without any of the 'old boys' and special 'off the record' considerations being foremost in the end result as deemed by the department.

Anyway with a bit of luck this time we should see some honesty to wards us and not simply what is good for telstra and politics while pretending the people are still being looked after.

I give it 2 years then we are back to square 1.

Think it will stay on unless the campaign by Telstra and the former Minister (with deliberately blind eyes) to defraud and force people from the CDMA network actually worked as they had planed.

cheers fnq

[Steve B]

In the large statewide goverment dept where I work, we have just changed ALL phones in QLD to next G (at least 3000 phones I reckon). Coverage ATM is relatively the same as the old CDMA, particulary here in Gin Gin which its pretty ordinary around the ridges.

When we quized the tech guru powers that be they informed us:
Currently the Ntxt G and CDMA beams are sharing all the towers and frequencies. When they switch CDMA off, the towers will have less competing frequencies and the Next G will have less resistance and hence further coverage. Something along those lines (pardon he pun) If that makes sense to anyone. Aparrently, they did a test out west with Next G at Winton and got reception at Kynuna (approx200km up road from 1 tower).

Nutshell, When they switch off CDMA (or if they do-as per previous posts) the Next G coverage should improve. So we were led to believe.

[FNQCairns]

In the large statewide goverment dept where I work, we have just changed ALL phones in QLD to next G (at least 300 phones I reckon). Coverage ATM is relatively the same as the old CDMA, particulary here in Gin Gin which its pretty ordinary around the ridges.

When we quized the tech guru powers that be they informed us:
Currently the Ntxt G and CDMA beams are sharing all the towers and frequencies. When they switch CDMA off, the towers will have less competing frequencies and the Next G will have less resistance and hence further coverage. Something along those lines (pardon he pun) If that makes sense to anyone. Aparrently, they did a test out west with Next G at Winton and got reception at Kynuna (approx200km up road from 1 tower).

Nutshell, When they switch off CDMA (or if they do-as per previous posts) the Next G coverage should improve. So we were led to believe.

I think you are right, NG will be as good as the old CDMA was or could be now with basic upgrades it would have recieved by now and before they turned it down to accomodate NG on the same tower, near some position and frequency, up here CDMA over the last 1.5y or so is now a mere shadow of it former self (only a bit better than GSM now), that's gotta be fraud but wait..... is a government in law even capable of that definition!!

Telstra and the former Gov were not silly they know which towers to turn down and not cause an resounding uproar from the 'Bush services' advocates, just yelling is ok cause nobody in wider society cares unless the media runs with it for a month to make them feel guilty enough.

jeese I am jaded, it's fun watching how well this country has been managed

cheers fnq

cheers fnq

[Chimo]

So if we have to change over to NG from CDMA do we choose one of the "country" phones to get the best off shore and bush coverage and if so which one is the pick of them?

I understand what you say FNQ and others; but how and why is it that the govt is so useless when it comes to assessing signal strength if T can spike the playing field and no one is any the wiser?

It stinks, to say the least.

Chimo
Very GOM.

[FNQCairns]

So if we have to change over to NG from CDMA do we choose one of the "country" phones to get the best off shore and bush coverage and if so which one is the pick of them?

I understand what you say FNQ and others; but how and why is it that the govt is so useless when it comes to assessing signal strength if T can spike the playing field and no one is any the wiser?

It stinks, to say the least.

Chimo
Very GOM.

They know all about it, the political process, backroom deals, corruption and promises that come to fruit after ministers are out of politics take precedent, besides who is someone? anyone? going to call... ghostbusters! our federal government was/is? a law unto themselves, nothing that doesn't solidly make the media gets past their firewall to be taken seriously, who bothers these days.

cheers fnq

[Chimo]

Steve B

What breed of next G did your Dept purchase?

Are any of your people marine based or is the dept rural or regional centre or city centred?

thanks

Cheers
Chimo

[SatNav]

1. Jan 28 is the planned shutdown date and all indications and current urgency indicates there will be shutdown.

2. Normal voice users intending to migrate their existing CDMA number to NextG must do this on or before Jan 25 as Jan 28 is a public holiday in Victoria and migrations are only processed Monday to Friday 9am to 3pm

3. After Jan 28 old CDMA number will not be able to be migrated to NextG

4. Somehow the thought that CDMA will extend beyond Jan 28 is extremely low and I suspect any bet you made on CDMA going beyond Jan 28 would be an extreme long shot.

5. Yes not all NextG phones are the same or receive the same, some are extremely bad.

6. Ensure any new phone purchased is NextG and not a 3G only.

[Chimo]

Hi Guys

Update re CDMA Next G

I spent several hours with some of the staff of the old country wide business section and determined that as many of us believe it will be shut down

Also found out that if you havn't changed over you will probably find your number is embargoed for a while and you probably won't lose it if you get another phone reasonably soon.

I found with my CDMA that my reception even around the GC was getting worse and places where I used to have signal I didn't any more. Whether this is due to Telsra fiddling or as they suggest the old phones don't discriminate well enough to sort out the signals that they don't get a signal at all blh blah etc ..who knows ... .

The upshot was that in my case I got sick of it and went out and bought a Next G phone. Sat Nav is spot on that there are big differences and the only ones to even look at if you want to be able to get out bush and also hopefully get a signal at sea is the better blue tick country phones.

The telsta people here were much more helpful than I ever could have hoped for to the extent that they offered to lend me a phone to try out (with me to pay for the calls but that was fair enought I thought.) I was all set to do it when they mentioned that they had previously lent one to a boatie who did the trip GC to the Whitsundays and back running a loaner next G and also his own CDMA.

I was told the NextG was claimed to do the job on that trip so I thought to hell with it I not into reinventing the wheel so forget the loaner.

Next thing thing was which phone.

I ended up with the F165 as you can stick a 9Dba antenna on it and also charge it off a computer too etc and you can read the screen and the keys are big enough to use plus it seems to work and I get signal now where I wasn't getting it with the old CDMA.

Given the way the CDMA signal / performance has got worse it looks like they've got us and there is only so long you can fight .

At least waiting this long there are a few OK phones to buy or get free on the plans and get $100 off the bill plus the other choice bits according to what plan you get. Those who bought rubbish Next G are getting free replacements so they will get fringe service or at least thats the case in TAS I believe. Should be the same everywhere surely!

Thanks for all the advice and messages re this. Together with some puter research and the surprising helpful Telstra people both in the business area and the commercial outlet I can now move on to the next item.........

Cheers
Chimo


PS anyone interested in a good working CDMA with two batteries etc? All you need is to find somewhere with ongoing CDMA signal coverage to use the b...... thing.

[Bonus]

SatNav is on the ball. The CDMA service will most likely finish on 28.1.08. I have bought a Telstra F165 and it works well on Moreton Island which is my fringe area.

[Tony_P]

I actually work for telstra in a call centre and as far as I know the CDMA network will be shutdown as of the 28.01.08. The real decision will be made by the minister for communications on the 21.01.08. He will decide whether or not the NEXT G network is as good as or better than the CDMA network and give Telstra the go ahead to shutdown the CDMA Network. I really can't see much stopping it as Telstra conducted there own study last year and achieved equivalancy to the CDMA network back in October last year.

[Steve B]

Chimo, I'm with the QAS. We got the Telstra ZTE something* I beleive (i havent got one with me) they look like a brick. They are spose to be the toughest phone telstra put out. We have had several phones in this region alone randomly turning themselves off for no reason. Not good. The powers that be have taken this up with telstra, I am unsure of the result yet.

Question: I have the Nokia 6120 which is 3G ....Will it be switched off (if I read previous post right) I thought it was same as Next G.

My wife has a digital (or the original signal, whatever that was). Its not CDMA. Will it still work after the changover??

* I will check the phone tommorrow to see what the exact model is. I am pretty sure thats it.

thanks for any help

steve