CDMA closure

I saw a sign in a telstra shop at West Lakes saying 25 days to go till end of cdma. Think i was there on Saturday the 5th of Jan.

They are advertising on TV at the moment that its 28th Jan 08, but who knows.

George,

Take the plunge mate. CDMA is (virtually) DEAD.

I would suggest that Telstra would be obliged to reimburse any outstanding credit value, or transfer it over to whatever you replace it with.

As far as I'm concerned the sooner CDMA is abolished, the sooner a clearer picture will be on the real performance of NextG.
Telstra can crank it up to full power, then concentrate on fixing any holes that exist in network reception.

Forcing Telstra to maintain CDMA is just stupid and will only delay full implementation of the newer technology.

George

My understanding is that the new Federal government has tasked the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) to report (soon!) on whether the NextG network is providing coverage at least equivalent to that provided by the CDMA network. The Government will not give Telstra the OK to switch off the CDMA network until it receives a satisfactory report from the ACMA. That is why Telstra's recent advertising of the CDMA network closure Telstra "intends" to switch off on 28 January, not that it definitely will switch off on that date.

I have run down my prepaid CDMA account, but I am prepared to buy more air time if the CDMA network is still running when next I travel around Oz and want the coverage. If Telstra does shut down CDMA before I next travel I will buy an LG TU550 on the NextG network, or a more advanced model.

Bruce M

We are on prepaid and you can transfer any remaining funds into your next g phone when you change over. There is no need to use it up before changing. I've written previously but we bought a prepaid Samsung A411 for $149 from our Telstra shop, We kept our number and it came with another $10 credit. All done in about 15 mins.

Saturdays Financial Review had an article saying that the ACMA was reporting "NEXT" week on its findings and recommendations.

Being in Saturdays paper that could now be this week ending the 12th or next week starting the 13th. It did not provide a specific date other than next week.

Stephen Conroy should be making an announcement by the end of this week or early next - hence Telstra advertising has changed to say that CDMA is 'planned' to shut down 28/1.

As for comment above that they can crank up full power on Next G once CDMA is shut down - why? aren't they independent systems?

I will personally be waiting until the last minute as I'm less than impressed by the offers Telstra are giving to those with prepaid Telstra CDMAs which are about to become worthless...

Just found this - probably the article referred to above:
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Herald Sun Jan 2nd
COMMUNICATIONS Minister Stephen Conroy will decide within days whether to allow Telstra to pull the plug on its CDMA mobile phone network at the end of this month.

Senator Conroy is due to get a report next week from the Australian Communications and Media Authority on whether the new NextG network is providing enough coverage in the bush.

Telstra wants to close the old CDMA network on January 28, but former minister Helen Coonan, who had a poisonous relationship with the telco, said this would not be allowed until there was proof regional CDMA services were up to scratch.

ACMA has been comparing CDMA and NextG coverage.

CDMA mobile phones will not work after the old network is closed.

Spokesman Jeremy Mitchell yesterday said: "We're very confident of a 28th of January shutdown of this old network," he said. "The coverage is definitely there."

He said more than two million NextG phones had been bought and all CDMA business customers were switching over.
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I have 12 fleet trucks all with CDMA which stopped working all at the same time today.

Contacted Telstra and they said that because we had purchased 12 Next G (under a fleet arrangement) last week they had automatically assumed we wouldnt require the CDMA and have shut them off!!

Now the fact that we only revceived the phones on site today (postal error) and w ehave yet to install them makes no difference. CDMA have all been shut down

Needless to say I have not given up at this stage and have started 'workimng my way' down from the top letting anyone and everyone in Telstra that i talk to what I think about the situation

havent decided just how I will sort out compensation etc but I can assure you i will be inventive :-)

Hi George

Been to Telstra today & was assured my prepaid mobile phone wiil still work and be operational when the CDMA network is shutdown.

This is because all phones that have a sim card do work on Next G network.( They did mention something about mobile phones being GSM ) refer to link shown below.

The CDMA phones without a sim card will be US

Regards Dave



http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-difference-between-gsm-and-cdma.htm

28th this Month (Jan) FIRM

G'day George

Article on p2 of today's Australian says that the Government will get two reports today on this topic, and concludes "The Government must make its decision by January 21".

Report 1 - the Australian Communications and Media Authority report - had to consider amongst other things whether Telstra's new network was offering the same of better coverage to regional mobile users.
Report 2 - by the Dept of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy (wow!) which "has been testing the retail servcies offerred by Telstra in regional Australia to make sure customer service and the mobile coverage being offerred are up to scratch". Presumably the report covers the testing, but you gotta love a criterion of "up to scratch".

Two reports!! - perhaps Sol T believes in divide and rule

Cheers
John

Telstra shops have a new special - $100 call credit if you buy a 6120 before Jan 28.

Obviously they want as many people as possible to convert now, in case the Govt doesn't allow them to close on Jan 28 !

Telstra's getting keener - they're now offering $50 off the Samsung A411 if you upgrade from an existing CDMA prepaid service - plus $10 credit.

If you upgrade from an existing CDMA postpaid to NextG postpaid you get $100 credit.

I'm still holding out for better offers in the week before closure - or the week after.

. . . . . two weeks to CDMA closure and the offers keep getting better.

Starting Jan 14th JBHiFi are selling the Samsung A411 prepaid for $100 off the original price - $99 ! Yes, it does have the blue tick.