Ballina Information Blog

The Federal Member for Page, Janelle Saffin, says many local residents have contacted her expressing concern about the Next G mobile telephone service and Telstra’s plan to close the CDMA network on January 28.

“I’ve had a number of people contact me reporting problems with phone reception on the Next G service, and others are unsure whether to change to Next G and want to know if the CDMA network might continue,” Ms Saffin said.

Ms Saffin says the Australian Communications and Media Authority has done a technical survey to see whether the Next G network is able to meet Telstra’s commitment that it will provide equivalent or better coverage than the CDMA network.

The ACMA report is now with the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, Senator Stephen Conroy.

“While the ACMA has been investigating the technical side, the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy is advising the Minister on whether equivalent retail services are being provided and is taking input from stakeholders,” Ms Saffin said.

Telstra is required to continue to operate the CDMA network until the Minister notifies them that he is satisfied the Next G network provides equivalent or better coverage and retail services.

The minister is required to make his decision by January 21.

“I will be passing on to the Minister the concerns raised with me locally about the Next G network, and requesting more time before the CDMA network is closed,” Ms Saffin said.

There is still time for people to provide feedback about their Next G experiences to the Department of Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy on 1800 883 488.

This entry was posted on Saturday, January 12th, 2008 at 9:28 am and is filed under News. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.