From
http://business.smh.com.au/telstra-l...0225-1uq0.html
It looks like a lot of farmers will be clambering over roofs and up trees
after April.
THE likelihood of Telstra switching off its regional mobile-phone network in
late April has increased markedly after the release of a plan to fix
problems.
The Communications Minister, Stephen Conroy, yesterday gave details of
measures Telstra would take to allow the closure of the
CDMA network on
April 28. The release of the plan is aimed at reassuring
CDMA customers that
they will not be worse off using Telstra's NextG mobile-phone network.
Customers should assume the network will be turned off in just over two
months, although it is still subject to Telstra getting the thumbs up in a
report which will address the minister's concerns.
The main sticking point has been concerns about the coverage of NextG mobile
phone handsets. A report from the Australian Communications and Media
Authority found that six NextG handsets - which it did not identify -
appeared to provide less coverage than
CDMA phones.
Telstra's chief executive, Sol Trujillo, refused last week to reveal the
number of customers still using the
CDMA network, giving rise to speculation
a significant number still exist. But he did say that the
CDMA customers
contributed less than 3 per cent of total mobile revenue of $3.19 billion.
In a letter to the minister, Telstra CountryWide's managing director, Geoff
Booth, said the company had been able to agree to a comprehensive plan to
address his concerns.
Telstra's willingness to accept the Rudd Government's decisions is a
dramatic change from the hardball it played with the Howard Government.