NextG v Optus and Optus CDMA Customers

Boy, I reckon that there'll be some pissed off former Optus CDMA customers
after this weekend.

I just had a look at Optus' website and its coverage locator thingy. The
coverage doesn't look that flash at all for any of its services outside of
the metro areas. It shows 'future' GSM coverage, but I don't know if that
includes a 3G service or not.

I was considering my options once my NextG contract expires, given that
Optus has a $19 capped plan that would suit me down to the ground. But if
it's not gonna work where I need it to work, then there'd be no point in
moving.

You can thank Telstra for that. ****ing people over on resold CDMA by
forcing them to move to Telstra if they need similar coverage and
usually making them pay more.

Just another example of Telstra using monopolistic tactics to maximise
profit and market share. Just goes to show they couldn't compete on a
level playing field, even if they wanted to.

On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:07:46 +1000 Snapper <snapper1@y7mail.com> wrote:

> I was considering my options once my NextG contract expires, given
> that Optus has a $19 capped plan that would suit me down to the
> ground. But if it's not gonna work where I need it to work, then
> there'd be no point in moving.

From my experience this week, Optus doesn't work real well in Dubbo, if
that helps you at all.

Others say it may be a network outage, or my handset. Handset new Palm
Centro; network outage not sure.

On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 18:34:37 +1000, Brendon wrote:

> You can thank Telstra for that. ****ing people over on resold CDMA by
> forcing them to move to Telstra if they need similar coverage and
> usually making them pay more.

No, you can thank Optus for that. Optus was free to build its own
replacement for the CDMA network, but chose not to.


> Just another example of Telstra using monopolistic tactics to maximise
> profit and market share. Just goes to show they couldn't compete on a
> level playing field, even if they wanted to.

How does it show that? If anything, it shows that Optus can't compete on
a level playing field (and is aware of it, or would have built its own
CDMA-replacement network to compete against Telstra's).

Horry <horacewachope@gmail.com> wrote
> Brendon wrote

>> You can thank Telstra for that. ****ing people over on
>> resold CDMA by forcing them to move to Telstra if they
>> need similar coverage and usually making them pay more.

> No, you can thank Optus for that. Optus was free to build
> its own replacement for the CDMA network, but chose not to.

It chose to do that, actually.

>> Just another example of Telstra using monopolistic tactics to
>> maximise profit and market share. Just goes to show they
> couldn't compete on a level playing field, even if they wanted to.

> How does it show that? If anything, it shows that Optus can't compete
> on a level playing field (and is aware of it, or would have built its own
> CDMA-replacement network to compete against Telstra's).

It chose to do that, actually.

"Polly the Parrot" <flatulantdingo@deadspam.com> wrote in message
news:20080424200901.264affc8@linux-k6os.site...
On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 13:07:46 +1000 Snapper <snapper1@y7mail.com> wrote:

> I was considering my options once my NextG contract expires, given
> that Optus has a $19 capped plan that would suit me down to the
> ground. But if it's not gonna work where I need it to work, then
> there'd be no point in moving.

From my experience this week, Optus doesn't work real well in Dubbo, if
that helps you at all.

Others say it may be a network outage, or my handset. Handset new Palm
Centro; network outage not sure.

As I said before in you other post re.Dubbo, my brother didn't have any
problems around Dubbo 2 weeks ago.

But it's just dawned on me, Optus are possibly/probably upgrading the
network to 3G, to do this they will need various cell sites turned off to
replace antennas or install new antennas along side the existing GSM ones on
the towers.
When they upgraded my local cell site/tower (1km away)about 10 weeks ago,
service was very poor at various times over a 5 week period, as they had to
replace not only the antennas but replace the tower with a new one as well.
With Optus upgrading the network to 3G for equivilent coverage as their GSM
network by the end of the year, a lot of network work is going on around
Australia & until it's finished you'll probably find at some point, you'll
have poor or no coverage where you think (or normaly) would have.

See what it's like in another couple of weeks.

On Fri, 25 Apr 2008 09:51:31 +1000 "Glenn P"
<pleasereply@newsgroups.com.au> wrote:

> See what it's like in another couple of weeks.

If I should be so unlucky to go back there! :-)

The Nokia 6121 is the only phone so far to work on the new Optus 900mhz 3g
network. More will follow soon.

I would suggest that if you experiencing reduced level of coverage and you
have a 2100mhz 3G phone, you switch the phone from Duel mode to GSM only
whilst network upgrade are going on.

2100mhz has reduced coverage compared to 900 mhz cells but your 3G phone
will try and look for 3G first before defaulting to GSM if no 3G is
available. If 3G is available the phone will connect even if the signal is
weak, reducing the quality of reception. Try testing your phone in the 2
different modes and see which one has the strongest signal in your area.



"Snapper" <snapper1@y7mail.com> wrote in message
news:025e456a$0$25052$c3e8da3@news.astraweb.com...
> Glenn P wrote...
>
>> But it's just dawned on me, Optus are possibly/probably upgrading the
>> network to 3G, to do this they will need various cell sites turned off to
>
> Yep, it's s'posed to come on line on May 1 according to the local Optus
> shop.
>
> It seems that Optus' stores have the same requirements as Telstra shops
> for their employees to have a sound knowledge of the products that they
> sell.
>
> When I asked what phones were available that would work on Optus 3G the
> girl couldn't really tell me.
>
> I enquired about the Motorola range, particularly the equivalent of the
> V3, V6 and V9s. Couldn't help me. She pointed me to a conventional Nokia
> of some description. Even then she didn't know if it was 3G compatible.
>
> I was asking as a person who would be migrating from Telstra to Optus once
> CDMA closed. She wasn't sure how I'd manage this. Mind you, this was prior
> to the original CDMA closure date. I wanted to know what Optus would do in
> the interim for its CDMA customers and whether the existing Optus network
> would be able to offer the same coverage and what about going onto 3G. It
> would've been nearly 3 months between CDMA closing and Optus 3G starting
> up, at the time.
>
> It was like pulling teeth, I can tell you.
>
> I understand why the guy who runs the shop employed her. Like all small
> businesses, they like to hire young good looking chicks that they can
> perve at, and tend to overlook their uselessness in the hope of perhaps
> getting laid. Then they go off on maternity leave when their boyfriends
> get them pregnant, take on other young chicks as temps....
>
> And yeah, this is turning into a rant about older people unable to get
> work because they're "used"....
>
>
>
>

QUEBURN wrote...

> The Nokia 6121 is the only phone so far to work on the new Optus 900mhz 3g
> network. More will follow soon.

Sort of like when NextG started up. Bugger all phones about and they
weren't that flash. Things improved rapidly from later on.

> I would suggest that if you experiencing reduced level of coverage and you
> have a 2100mhz 3G phone, you switch the phone from Duel mode to GSM only
> whilst network upgrade are going on.

I'm with Telstra's NextG. I'm out of contract in August and I am looking
at my options. It would depend on what sort of coverage that the Optus
900mhz 3G network has compared to NextG when it's up and running. It it's
like for like on Optus' GSM network then I won't bother. However, if it
approaches NextG then I will consider it.