Telstra to stop CDMA for HSDPA Network

Telstra to stop CDMA for HSDPA Network. Following the approval by the Australian government, Australia's Telstra will be switching off its CDMA network in favor of the new HSDPA-enabled 3G network. According to The Australian, initially the government resisted giving green light to the mobile operator over concerns that the new network would not be able to provide coverage in more remote areas and other technical issues.

“I am satisfied that Telstra has met the equivalence tests in its licence condition and has sufficiently rectified the problems I identified in January, including handheld handset coverage, customer information provision and the availability of equipment and services,” Senator Conroy said today.

“Today I urge anyone who still has a CDMA phone to make the necessary arrangements to switch to another network as quickly as possible.”

Conroy urged Telstra's CDMA customers to switch mobile providers as soon as possible or to take advantage of Telstra's ongoing handset exchange scheme. Telstra's new HSDPA-enabled 3G network, known as "Next G", uses 850 MHz rather than 2100 MHz enabling it to cover much greater geographic distances.

(source)