Farmers Federation worried about CDMA closure.

NextG is a 3G network.

Hi Mike
Next G and 3G are two different types. If you only have a 3 G Phone, it will not work in a Next G area.

Cheers

Stephen

The journalist is still correct - Next G is the new 3G network - it operates on 850MHz compared with the city 3G networks which operate in 2100MHz.

Yawn!!! ......here we go again SSDD.

Next G is not the new 3G network because it runs on different frequency spectrum. You will not be able to take your Next G phone to a country that uses 3G becasue afaik we are the only country atm using it.

Leroy

We're getting a bit pedantic here - both 3G and Next G are 3rd-generation mobile phone networks using similar technology.
2G is the old GSM technology.
3G operates in the 2GHz band. Next G is a slightly later technology than 3G, and (in Telstra's case) operates in the 850Mhz band.
Both sytems use variants of Wideband CDMA technolgoy, totally different to the older 2G GSM and significantly advanced from the older CDMA.
The technology has nothing to do with the spectrum it occupies.
Telstra chose that spectrum because
a) it already owned the license to the exclusion of others
b) the lower frequency compared with 3G ensures a better range

A downside with their choice of band is that there were not many manufacturers of the handsets in the 850MHz band (Cingular in the US was about the only other operator at the time of Next G implementation).
And of course, Australia is fairly unique with cellular mobile systems in that we push extreme distances from our cells, which was never a consideration with Europe and US operators. So with some of the early handsets, sensitivity was not really a consideration, an issue Telstra should not have disregarded.

And, a NextG phone will in fact work on other 3G networks as it can also use the 1800 and 2100Mhz frequencies. While the 850Mhz band is specific to Telstra, their phones are multi-band capable.
The farmers are mounting the same campaign they had when analogue was closing down... now they are defending CDMA.
Anyone who thinks they can have mobile phone coverage in any paddock is dreaming.....
NextG is so far ahead in features, it is hard to see why anyone would want to stick with the old CDMA now. And anyone who argues that they need it for emergency coverage wherever they may be....well a mobile phone never ever will be recommended for that purpose.
Cheers

"Anyone who thinks they can have mobile phone coverage in any paddock is dreaming....."
hl the issue at the moment is they do have mobile coverage currently with CDMA in their paddocks & as they change over to the new phones the reception in some areas is now non existant.
A farmer I know has been arguing with Telstra for 6 months over the lack of range & were in the end offered a CDMA phone back until they improved the signal. Nothings improved & it gets shut down in a couple of weeks. The farmers aren't after an improved service or a range of useless features on a fancy handset, they just want to simply continue making calls in the same places they have for the past few years.
For 4x4 drivers they will notice a huge reduction up in the Vic High Country where in the past reception has been available from the top of almost every tall mountain.
Cheers Craig.............

My CDMA worked in many more areas than my work 3G or my personal Next G. :( I want my CDMA back too.

Truckster,
I think part of the reason why many nextG phones do not perform as well as the old CDMA is because they no longer have a pull-out antenna. In fact, on some models the antenna is under the keyboard, being effectively de-tuned when you hold the thing in your hand.
We are talking about a signal of only a few 100 milliwatts at a frequency of around 1Ghz. It is physically impossible to provide the sort of coverage some people are dreaming about. As for mountain tops in the high country.....I am sure a NextG jobbie with a pullout antenna will work just like the old CDMA, but I don't think Telstra really gets much of a revenue stream from these places, and that's what it is all about.
I really do like the extra features of the new system, I was a bit ho-hum when I changed over and like many other people, I said all I want is to make voice calls. I have changed my mind on that one!
The phone works tops when used as a modem for my Laptop when we are away, and I do get coverage in many places where I would not have expected it.
You can get email, weather maps, share prices, Google maps (no need to carry a street directory!) and basically anything that you can get on the net, even without a computer connected if you can out up with the small screen.
Cheers

We rolled out those cheap as, plastic crap, Telstra handsets. I have read that everyone is complaining about them. If you use them with an external antenna they appear to perform better. But guess what? They have one of those little pull out antennas!

Leroy