Going bush? Check the maps first
Filed under: 3G, customers, lifestyle, mobile handsets, mobile internet, networks, Next G™, technology, wireless
This week Telstra Country Wide celebrates its 10th anniversary and I’m among those celebrating. Few people could have imagined a decade ago how far rural telecommunications would have come in a relatively short space of time.
Telstra’s controversial decision to close down the CDMA network and replace it with Next G is obviously the highlight of the decade. It has allowed the company to focus on investing and improving coverage on one national system. Growing up in rural NSW, I can remember having to deal with manual telephone exchanges in the not too distant past. Today I can get the same fast broadband speeds on my laptop down of the family farm (400 miles from Sydney) as I can in my suburban flat.
Telstra’s competitors are still trying to catch up with Next G. If you live in the country or like to go bush often like I do, then it pays to check out the coverage – especially if you’re thinking of buying products like the new Apple iPad.
Optus offers 3G services using two different frequencies. The problem is that some very popular devices, such as the iPad and the iPhone, are not compatible with the 900MHz spectrum that Optus uses for 3G coverage outside major metropolitan areas. The result is that the devices might still work, but at limited data speeds. So accessing mobile internet or email is a significantly slower experience and some of the cool apps won’t even work at all.
This map shows just how inadequate the Optus 3G 2100 coverage really is.
Even in the city the Optus 3G experience can be off the pace, as ZDNet reported recently.
Telstra never claims to have the cheapest prices, but as they often say in the bush, you get what you pay for.
What Crap…You guys going into Gutter Tactics like NWAT again?
I am both an Optus and Telstra Customer.. And yes , there is no doubt Telstras “NextG” 3rd Generation 3g network is superior for Country Coverage.. But making an issue of separating Optus limited 2100Mhz coverage as the basis of Smartphone Reach , is just plain wrong. Most of Optus smartphones have now got dualband 900/2100mhz ‘YesG” coverage.. I have one myself.
And i also live and travel in regional areas. Although its not as good as my Telstra 3g phone, its satisfactory for most areas..I am happy with it for the most.
Now , i suspect the Gutter Tactic was aimed at the Iphone?
The iphone doesnt operate on the Dual Band Optus Network, as it is only capable of running on the 2100mhz band..
However.. and take note.. The Iphone 4 shortly to be released, has Dual Band Capabilty.. So this Crap you have written will be outdated..
Look, as a Telstra Customer, i am really disappointed you would stoop to gutter politics with articles lined to mislead consumers of the real facts.. Stick to Customer Service please.. Its this sort of stuff that makes me even more inclined to switch to the opposition..
Since when has Telstra started rewriting history?????
It was Government legislation to close the CDMA and not as you state ‘Telstra’s controversial decision to close down the CDMA network and replace it with Next G’. Correct me if I am wrong but my recollection is that Telstra was against closing down CDMA at the time.
Telstra suck so dose the 3G Coverage in QLD NSW TAS
Paul, while it has been announced the the new iPhone will have 900Mhz band coverage, the same can’t be said for the iPad. The small business market has never been more competitive than it is right now, which is great for customers. I certainly won’t be apologising for talking up the benefits of being with Telstra.
Stan, The Federal Government imposed the shutdown of the old analogue (AMPS) network. Telstra made the call to get out of CDMA – other carriers around the world then followed.
http://www.telstrabusiness.com/business/portal/online/site/productsservices/coveragenetworks.10870
Rod,
I see you included a link to show Telstras Full Coverage Maps..
It would have been appropriate to also include a full coverage link for Optus “YesG” under the Circumstances, so as not to mislead people..
http://www.optus.com.au/aboutoptus/About+Optus/Network+Coverage/Optus+Network+Coverage+Maps/ACT
I dont expect you to appologise Rod.. Just play fair..
I dont want people to get the wrong idea..thats all..
Like the Iphone which now supports 900mhz , i would expect the next ipad to also support 900mhz.. They would be silly not to follow suit, as 900mhz spectrum is gaining ground in places like France etc.
Stan, the decision to launch 3G 850 and close CDMA was made by Telstra under Sol Trujillo. The government actually directed Telstra to delay the closure by a few months.
Paul, the Next G network covers more than 2.1 M square kilometres and exceeds Optus coverage by a “country mile”. Rod makes a legitimate comparison of Telstra’s product with a competitor’s product – I don’t think this is gutter tactics. The point about 900 MHz is that it is not supported by most handsets in Australia at present – including the iPhone 3G and iPhone 3GS, which drop back to 2G outside the Optus 2100 MHz coverage. (Compare downloading a web page using an iPhone on Optus at the same time as an iPhone on Telstra. I find Telstra wins, even in the Optus 3G 2100 MHz area!)
It’s good that your Optus phone is “satisfactory for most areas” – but as you know, Telstra Next G services “work better in more places”.
Paul, thanks for the link to Optus coverage maps. It’s interesting that the coverage map of N.S.W. shows Hay at its western edge. I thought the state of New South Wales extends out past Broken Hill (as does the Telstra coverage). I can only guess that Optus has no coverage west of Hay.
It’s also interesting that Optus shows 3G coverage and “dual band” coverage on separate maps, presumably acknowledging that 900 MHz is not accessible to all 3G users. Yes the iPhone 4 will support 3G 900 and is expected in Australia next month. Yes, more ‘phones will support 3G 900 in the future. But right now, Telstra’s network offers a premium experience.
Richard, your Comment “The point about 900 MHz is that it is not supported by most handsets in Australia at present” – is irrelevant..
Telcos use different spectrum bands as does Optus ..many Handsets dont work on Telstra either.. Your Specifying the Iphone and the Ipad is the same as me specifying the Smartphone like Garmin A10 as not working on Telstra network..
There are different devices suited for Different Networks.
But to strictly highlight the Current Ipad and Iphone to take aim at Optus Coverage deficiency is unwarranted.. Especially since there are many other Smartphones that will work very well on the Optus Dual-Band “yesG” network.
Not to mention the latest Iphone 4 released is now capable of working on Optus Dualband..
I still say your approach is trying to throw misrepresentation on Optus.. And i dont like it.. Its unbecoming..Everybody knows Telstra has the Best Network available, so why belittle Optus? I saw enough of these tactics on NWAT..
Could it be because of the new Iphone 4?
Anyway, i have said my piece and i am still a Telstra Consumer.. For the meantime..
Rod,
I have an LG 500 3G handset that could not receive calls travelling recently from Bombala to Cann River. Also drops calls from Colac to Forrest. My old CDMA had handheld reception in this area. I have to use an external aerial and this does improve reception in country areas. At Nicholson nr Sale I lose reception 50 metres off the highway w/out the aerial yet our maps show full coverage there. There are many variables with mobiles and maps should be taken as a guide only.
Wow Paul, a little angry perhaps?
Optus simply sucks and blows, if Sol didn’t screw over the public with iPhone data pricing, Telstra would have more of the SmartPhone market, and now that they are focusing on service, they will get it too, Optus fails misserably with asking for Voice IVR verification and once you get through, get asked again.
I look forward to a more “value” competitive Telstra and a superior service and not having to call their call centres all the time cause of the pathetic reception and technical issues with network equipment and handset incompatability.
So in closing, “Optus BLOWS”, “Telstra, errrr it’s getting much better”
Sorry Rod, hate to argue with you cous but each new network has gone backwards out in rural NSW – for example analog I could get service all over my house, cdma i could guarantee to get service in 2 rooms and now Next G I can get service in one corner of one room in my house and that isn’t even consistently everyday. You’re welcome to come visit and check, I am not exaggerating at all. I hate to think what level of coverage I will get on the next network Telstra comes up with! Not to mention the thousands of dollars my family has spent changing over phones and car kits each time Telstra decides to change the network. If this is how things have gone over the last 10 years, i hate to think what the next 10 hold! Not to mention Telstra Countrywide is spending their anniversary year removing payphones across NSW, too bad for anyone from Sydney who comes up with a GSM phone! I hope country hospitality is still alive and well cause you won’t be able to call anyone for help if you get stuck or break down! Guess that’s just a backhanded tactic to force people to get Next G…it won’t be safe not to without public phones to call for help! With no competition we certainly don’t have a choice what phones we own out here, and Telstra reminds us with their “what are you going to do about higher costs and poor service, cancel your account and have no phone!?” attitude. We have 7 phones on the one account, we used to have a family discount but Telstra then made us change our plan to a business plan and we cannot get any discounts between the phones until after we used our credit. My entire credit now gets used up calling my family at an obscene rate – on my last bill it cost me $4.47 to call my home for 7.5 minutes from 80km away! I’d be better off going on a $10 plan, having no credit at all and calling home for 5c minute instead! I’d get more value for money! Or using a payphone would be cheaper…if i could find one!
Paul, you wrote that you use both Telstra Next G and Optus 3G. I think we agree an 850-capable handset has better coverage on Telstra Next G than a 900/2100-capable handset has on Optus (or Vodafone).
You are right that different handsets work better on different networks. It is a happy coincidence for Telstra that the frequencies chosen by Apple mean that the iPhone 3G and 3GS work better on the Telstra Next G network. But it is still a FACT that they work better on Telstra, as Rod Bruem pointed out.
Garmin A10 may not work well on Telstra but there are two good reasons why I’m discussing iPhone: (1) It is among the top-selling handsets in Australia; and (2) Optus aggressively promoted iPhone on the Optus network. I’m not accusing Optus of being misleading, but in all the Optus advertising I saw for the iPhone, I don’t recall reading: “3G functions available in major metropolitan areas only”. My colleague recently got an iPhone 3GS on Optus and experiences coverage problems in suburban Melbourne!
The iPhone 4 is apparently capable of 3G using 850/900/2100 MHz, so will operate on Telstra, Optus, or Vodafone networks. Great news for Australian consumers! Let’s imagine that independent reviewers publish in August 2010 that iPhone 4 has better coverage and download speeds on Telstra than on other networks. Would Telstra be “belittling” other carriers to let people know? Or would Telstra be entitled to celebrate the fact that its massive and ongoing investment and hard work mean it has the best network and its customers have the best mobile experience?
(And I’m personally glad you’re still a Telstra customer. We must be doing something right…)
Telstra must be estimating a large portion of their iphone users will buy the latest one and switch to Optus. I’m a regional customer and I know I’m thinking about it.
So they’ve come up with this rubbish which is not a true comparison of network coverage (completely ignoring Optus’ 900Mhz band) to try and scare regional customers with staying with telstra, and locking the iphone upgraders to another 24 months.
Why is it then, that I had better Optus reception in Bowen, than Ipswich? That chart there shows Optus doesnt cover Bowen?
Mr Grenfell seems to be a great defender of Optus for someone who claims to be an ordinary consumer. He refers to the Optus ‘yes G’ network. What is that? Sounds like a pale immitation of Next G. He also claims the fact the iPad is useless on ‘YesG’ (LOL) is the same as some Garmin? Gadget not working on Next G. Sorry Mr Grenfell, I don’t think that’s a fair comparison. Nor do I believe you really are the ‘objective consumer’ you would have us believe.
Also, there are those (like me) who don”t travel outside the major cities regularly & who are sick of the pathetic ‘customer service’ that, both, Telstra & Optus offer; we chose another provider all together. Regardless of who the actual carrier is, at least we don’t have put up with the spastics at Optus & Telstra! The sooner Internode start providing mobile phones, the better!
Richard..
The Telstra 3g, (NextG) Phone is superior in the regions, but Optus Coverage has improved dramatically, and is continuing to do so..
Whilst Travelling in Rural and Regional Areas, the Telstra Phone is no doubt a handy companion for emergencies , but for Everyday use for about 99% of the time , my Optus (YesG) phone does me nicely..
Having several Mobiles, its far more economical for me to use the Optus Handsets.. They provide free handsets on Cap Plans with very generous data.. Its a matter of Economics Really..
Telstra just arent cost as effective..
The New Iphone4 will be an added bonus, no doubt..But its not the only SmartPhone.. there are some very good alternatives.
I used to be 100% Telstra, but with improved Optus Coverage and Generous Cap and Data plans, it was time to migrate the majority of Hardware.. But that wasnt the Only reason.. I was so incensed by the “Sol” experiment.. It was enough to make me jump ship in any case..
Yes im still a Telstra Customer, but maybe not for too much longer..
Telstra has improved its Mobile, Wireless and Data offerings, but its still a long way from the Competition..So there is no reason for me to migrate back at this stage. But in the meantime, just for those “emergencies” Telstra Rules..
I realise the topic is about coverage in the bush, but Telstra has just extend the coverage to the sea. Why not use the latest map which shows even bigger coverage?
But in comparison, Telstra coverage with a 2100/900MHz only handset is zero (extending your own dodgy definition, because 2100MHz is 3GIS, not Telstra and therefore can’t be included in the coverage map for Telstra).
This article is purely intended to mislead. It shows you’re scared of Optus YesG and are resorting to scare tactics to keep people on NextG.
Why not compete on better service and better pricing?
I’m up for a new phone in the next few months, 900MHz HTC handsets are looking very attractive, as is the 900MHz capable iPhone4.
It is a bit sneaky to only compare Optus 2100 with Telstra 850…..there is a 900 spectrum too and dualband 2100/900 smartphones are dime a dozen (like my imported UK Desire, go figure).
Next G is clearly faster and has better coverage to the Optus network (2100 and 900), there is no doubt, but leaving out a huge chunk of Optus coverage because you are basing the argument on a SINGLE handset that does not operate on the 900 band is sneaky at best and misleading at worst.
And I ain’t no Optus fanboi either. Optus did something similarly misleading when they had the Black and White campaign – comparing their Caps with a standard Telstra phone plan.
I expect consumers are sick and tired of ‘tricks’ like this from telcos and other companies. Next G is better either way, so compare apples with apples and let it stand on its true merits.
Here is the link for the “out to sea” coverage.
http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/networks/coverage/outtosea.html
Cheers, Eric
I have been a Telstra consumer myself for as long as I remember. My wife using the Optus coverage. I really have enjoyed reading the points Paul has raised and will in turn look at migrating to Optus myself. The fact of the matter is, we live in tough economical environment and if it means saving money without sacrificing major coverage issues (which was the case with Optus in the past), I’m all in.
I have also heard nothing but good feedback in regards to Optus’s customer service, especially for business users.
Thanks for your fair insight Paul.
Jones
I’m not at all surprised by this post, which is misleading, in true Telstra fashion. I live in Tas, and let me tell you it’s amazing how many friends and family have moved away from Telstra since YesG launched down here – and is expanding rapidly.
I think it’s really immoral to compare the Telstra 850 network to only the Optus 2100 network… considering it runs side-by-side with 900, and forms YesG… as per usual Telstra are attempting to scare people… because the new iPhone supports 2100/900, and they can see they’re going to have a problem here.
Never been a Telstra customer personally, and never will. (Especially while crap like this continues!!)
Those maps are so ameturish and deceitful it’s embarassing to think a major corporation like Telstra is responsible for them.
Interestingly, it’s the blue areas that people live in, most of the orange is scrub.
and I was going to get a Telstra pre-paid sim this week for my iPhone 3G, think I’ll wait for iPhone 4.
I live in the Riverland, a cluster of towns about 250km NE of Adelaide, and for many years there was a “black spot” for mobiles even along the national highway between here and Adelaide. Finally, that was filled in. However, it’s still dangerous to go bush. My husband is flying a tug plane from Renmark to Wilpena Pound (Rawnsley Park airfield) today, to help with the gliding event up there this weekend. His flight path is almost entirely unserviced by NextG. It’s not exactly the back of beyond, between here and the Flinders, a major tourist area, but it’s obviously not a priority for Telstra.
It’s worrying for any of us with friends or family out bush. Today, if anything goes wrong, the first I’ll hear of it will be via my husband’s emergency beacon. It would be enormously reassuring, and much safer to have NextG contact, but Telstra does not provide it.
CDMA offered much better rural coverage. You cost us money and safety when you shut it down. When will NextG catch up with this old technology?
Typical Teltra crap…an act of desperation from a desperate company. Optus is not perfect but they keep scum bags like you and the company you work for honest…or how dishonest you really are.
Agree with comment #1 from Paul, entirely.
Interesting that the return of Rod, evokes a return to the old “I won’t be apologising” NWAT, propagandist mentality.
Interesting also, it comes just after the opinion polls show Labor to be in trouble and the sympathetic Coalition the next possible government.
Coincidence?????
1 step forward… 2 steps back, eh Telstra!
I bought a Telstra Next G mobile from Coles recently. My wife and I lost six days of our lives trying to activate it, but found out that Telstra currently provides no working mechanism to activate a mobile phone.
Add to this the shoving of Home Messaging down our throats. Despite personally calling Telstra and saying I did NOT want this activated, they have “automatically” done this twice, forcing me to listen to their inane messages twice in order to deactivate it.
Yesterday I talked to the daughter of an elderly hearing impaired woman who was trying to return a non-working homeline phone to Telstra. She was well given a run-around by the call centre and the “T-life” shop (please, T-Life? what moron thought that one up) and it looks like Telstra has no working mechanism for returning faulty homeline phones either, so she will probably have to complain to the TIO to avoid being charged for it.
How many people have died of high blood pressure brought on by attempting to deal with Telstra?
As Rod said, relating to CDMA…Telstra chose to close it. But…
The government would not allow Telstra to shut it down when they wanted 28.01.08 – Telstra actually would have preferred closure well before that, but this was the official closure date.
They weren’t permitted the right to close because the replacement network (guess which, begins with Next and ends with G) wasn’t up to scratch!
As such, Telstra had to keep CDMA going until 28.04.08, while NextG was tweaked, for it to meet minimum requirements for CDMA closure.
I think you forgot that bit Rod, no need to thank me!
To think that telstra wouldnt put up the full map is pathetic ive been with optus for 5 years and never once had a problem with service or bills even if ther a month late never a peep saying im late etc very easy to deal with this goes to show when you talk to people these days there moving away from telstra becuase the service is poor I have a iphone and I dont use the data in remote areas so this whole debate is pointless againsted me i get service but it goes to 2g which is fine becuase i dont need to hit the websites on my way down to albany.
to add to point optus now has full 3G coverage down to busselton now so they are expanding.
And to just further show if you have the correct handset I.e. 900/2100mhz you will have no problem with data.
And there getting serious about towers to
http://www.optus.com.au/aboutoptus/About+Optus/Network+Coverage/Network+Information/3G+Dual+Band+new+sites+launched
thats the list of up coming towers and towers put up this year and future sites
remember these things take time planning, land, council, building the tower its self not just “yep chuck on there and there”
The irony here is that devices that support 850/2100Mhz are the exception to the norm. The use of 850Mhz for 3G networks is limited worldwide – 900Mhz (used by both Optus & Vodafone in regional areas) is more widely used and more handsets support this frequency band without carrier-specific models or modifications.
In fairness I think the new Telstra plans are becoming much better value and quite comparable. If these new prices had been around 2 years ago when the Optus network was about to croak under the pressure from iPhone, i would be a Telstra Mobile customer right now.
But back to the topic – Telstra folks, imagine your outrage if Optus came out and said “Compare Telstra’s 2100 3G coverage to our superb 2100/900 YesG coverage”.
Then how would you react if you saw a similar coverage map to the one you have above, but with the providers reversed. Because if Optus ran that comparison, that’s what the map would look like.
“Oh but that’s a stupid comparison” you would say “because we really have 850 NextG as our national network and our 2100 is just etc etc…..”. Then it would be lawyers at 20 paces.
And we would all agree and think that Optus was taking us all for fools.
And this is almost precisely what you have done.
Typical Telstra.
Oops, further update;
“Optus mulls Lawsuit over Telstra Map claims”
http://www.itnews.com.au/News/214734,update-optus-mulls-lawsuit-over-telstra-coverage-maps.aspx
Whirlpool has picked it up.
http://forums.whirlpool.net.au/forum-replies.cfm?t=1463692
See what happens when you get tricky?
Remains to be seen whether Optus will take Legal action or not, but looking at the Top of the Maps,there is the Heading Title, Which Says;
“3g Smartpone and Tablet PC handheld coverage comparison between Telstra NextG network and Optus 3G 2100 Network.”
Notice it doesnt Mention Iphone 3gs or Ipad specifically?
It just bundles Smartphone and PC Tablet..Now, irrespective of the fact, that the new Iphone4, is now Dual Band 900/2100 , there are also many other Smartphones and PC Tablets that will, and do, operate on the Optus 900mhz Band.. Optus has an extensive range of Dual Band Smartphones available and is adding more as we speak..
It wouldnt surprise me if Optus take this to the Courts, and they have a good case to do so.. But in true fashion as in the Past, Telstras Huge Legal team would no doubt fight it to the death rather than Concede.. Whereas, a simple “Sorry” would suffice and then for Telstra to Get back to basic customer service and better deals to win over consumers..
It may come as a surprise to many, that Telstra also has a 2100mhz 3g Network..maybe these maps could have been Highlighted?
Telstra 3G and GSM Maps..
http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/3606/export6b83201640fb4cc89.jpg
From..
http://www.telstra.com.au/mobile/networks/coverage/maps.cfm
I love Telstra i get great signal where ever i go i have got free access to Facebook , Myspace and Twitter + 200MB to use on anything elce. And $400 credit to call and text anyone on any network for $49 i cant see anything wrong with that i would recomend Telstra to everyone
This post made me decide to check out YesG’s coverage and it seems it’s really catching up with NextG. This post has also disgusted me so much that I’m now considering moving my Telstra service to a new handset with Optus now that their 3G coverage is so extensive.
Perhaps Telstra should compare apples to apples:
- Telstra/Three 2100MHz 3G to Optus 2100MHz 3G
OR
- Telstra NextG to Optus YesG
To Tristan Huxley , who said:”Optus fails misserably with asking for Voice IVR verification and once you get through, get asked again.”
Tristan , Optus dont use IVR.. They dropped it some time back..
Honestly, if you’re going to attack another telco blatantly, at least do some sort of research.
The 900mHz spectrum is a European standard, and almost ALL mobile phone, and mobile broadband devices, are released with the 2100mHz and 900mHz capabilities as standard.
The truth of the matter is that Telstra’s NextG network, while it may be more reliable, is not compatable with the amount of devices that EVERY other Australian telco can support.
The only reason that the iPhone (prior to iPhone 4) and iPad devices are not compatable with the 900mHz standard is because Apple made the devices for the very proprietary American market.
Due to Telstra’s use of the 850mHz standard every customer has to pay a very hefty premium to purcahse a device that will work with the NextG network.
Take the HTC HD2 for example, if I were to purchase a Optus and Vodafone compatible varient (2100/900 version) I would pay about $730, whereas to by Telstra’s varient (2100/850 version) it costs almost $900.
http://img18.imageshack.us/f/58829154.jpg/
this should help
a honest map
thanks to Garvs from whilpool forum
Hi Rod, gee mate some things never change.
The Bible says “the poor will always be with us”. It seems the whingers and moaners will always be with us also. I would bet London to a brick that the vast majority of the complainers are agent provocateurs who are Telstra opponents who hope for advantage by bagging Telstra.
I would also like the national debt on Telstra gaining public support if Telstra Management, by media adverts, joined the mining companies and exposed the blackmail and threat that is being used against Telstra and its 1,400,000 Australian Shareholders by the Rudd Government.
Just a reminder to those of you who have jumped in here from the ‘new view’ post, this is not a space to make personal attacks, put downs and the like. It feels to me like we’re heading in that direction. Enough said.
Cheers, Brendan
So many complaints here about people nitpicking on certain areas of rural coverage. It is amazing that you can get 3G coverage everywhere which is fast in areas with hardly any population. You should be happy that Telstra provides some coverage, whereas the other two telcos won’t as its not financially viable. If it’s to expensive use another provider, for the average consumer at the moment and the average spend, Telstra is that little bit more expensive but its worth it. For a high spend user, Telstra is too expensive, and for a low spend user Telstra is also too expensive, but for the 29-79 cap market its great.
It’s hardly nitpicking to complain about something that directly affects your personal safety, and was caused by Telstra removing a service. Their service and coverage in rural regions is generally appalling, and no amount of PR is going to change that. The only thing that will change it is improving the coverage and service. Renai on Delimiter suggested Telstra publicize a blog or forum created so customers can report black spots and reduced/erratic coverage, and so Telstra can report the progress they have made addressing these specific problems. If you’re genuinely interested in improving rural service, this is an effective direction. Walk the talk, Telstra.