Telstra answers last FAQ’s about CDMA closure

Telstra Country Wide director, Brett Riley, said the countdown clock is well and truly ticking down for the old CDMA mobile network with Telstra making final preparations for the closure on 28 April.

"This means that CDMA customers should now start making arrangements to switch to another network, such as the Next G network, as the decision to close CDMA has been made and won't be reversed,” he said.

"It's very important that customers understand that Telstra operates the only CDMA network in Australia. So once the CDMA network closes, CDMA customers won't be able to make or receive calls from anywhere across the country - including calls to emergency services.”

Riley claimed Telstra has already recorded a sharp rise of interest in its Next G network in the days since confirmation was received that the CDMA network would close later this month.

The questions most commonly asked by customers about the CDMA network closure include:

1. Is Telstra likely to reverse its decision to close down CDMA?
No, the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy confirmed that Telstra could close the CDMA network on midnight, 28 April, 2008.

2. Does the Telstra Next G network provide as much coverage as CDMA?
Yes. The Next G network offers a mobile coverage footprint than the old CDMA network, covering more than 2 million square kilometres as compared to CDMA which covered more than 1.6 million square kilometres.

3. What is the benefit of moving to the Next G network?
The Telstra Next G network is Australia's a national broadband network, covering 99 per cent of the Australian population. Customers on the Next G network can enjoy advanced mobile content and applications such as video calling (available on most handsets), Internet access and BigPond TV, plus an array of the latest news, weather and sports reports.