GPRS / Internet with mobile

Norm, GPRS is a communications platform, not a network such as GSM or CDMA, which are both digital networks.

Hi Bonz. Yes, GPRS operates over the GSM network, hence the similarity in coverage, GPRS may not work at the extremes of the GSM cell range. Info on GRPS coverage from a couple of web sites is as follows:

This from the Vodaphone web site

Vodafone GPRS
Vodafone GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is our high speed wireless data network. Coverage is similar to our GSM network, except National Roaming areas and extended cell locations

This from the Simply Wireless web site

GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) is a wireless technology that uses the existing mobile phone network to allow laptops and handhelds, have always on connectivity, everywhere *)
Most tier 1 telecommunication providers offer GPRS connections. The map of GPRS coverage in Australia follows broadly GSM availability.

Hiya Norm, yep that was what I was getting at. Some ppl thought GPRS was another netrwork like CDMA or GSM, rather its a data service which uses the current network, the reason its coverage isnt quite as good as the network is that the data needs good comms levels so at the far reaches of the GSM or CDMA network where we can put up with voice dropouts etc and still get a message thru the data comms fail.

Rox, mine stayed the same whether it was used on the phone, the dialup or plugged into the internet through their network. Still the same mailserver.........

Andy, I suggest once again, CDMA is the one you are most likely will get and there are few cheap plans of either way. Telstra do sell what they call a wireless modem which is a PCMCIA plug in CDMA device.

The Blackberry is email as you observe and few PDA systems tackle the CDMA phone systems of the regional areas.

Andy GPRS is GSM and GSM is limited to a max of 36km from the tower.
Vodafone has GPRS unlimited fo $49.95 a month. I use this when I am working in a Vodafone area. I have a Sony Ericsson PCMCIA GPRS card with external aerial. You can switch GPRS service account on and off per month as there are no contracts.
Telstra CDMA1X service can be used through your mobile phone with extra cable and software. All CDMA phones have modem built in. Telstra casual service is disgustingly expensive at $20 per Mb. Telstra have plans and they rip you off blind and charge the service in 15 min intervals. The speed on CDMA1X is great at speeds up to 144kbps
If you sign up on the Telstra $20 phone plan and take the free My Hour option you can call your own ISP for up to 20 min at a time free. The speed is terrible at 19.2kbps but for text email works a treat and is free.
I use Vodafone when in Vodafone service area and Telstra CDMA when forced to. I travel with a set of Vodafone and Telstra coverage maps. If you are not going to stay in a place for up to 30 days then Vodafone will be pretty useless for you, and suggest you stick to Telstra CDMA. Optus is a nonevent and have no GPRS plans and there is nobody at Optus that knows anything about GPRS. You phone Optus and they are hopeless and useless. With an external aerial you can get reception up to 100km from the CDMA tower if you are on top of a hill or the tower has good elevation.
Note you do not need any other hardware to connect to CDMA1X other than your phone and cable and software supplied by the phone manufacturer. You do not need the sub standard Maxon Minimax or Aircard modem which you cannot put an external aerial on. A quality external aerial on CDMA makes a big difference and sometimes you go from no signal to 3 or 4 bars