Telstra CDMA closure: Crucial report delayed

With the planned switch-off date for Telstra's CDMA network just weeks away, a crucial report into the replacement Next G network that could stymie the closure has suffered delays.

The report, compiled by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), audits the performance of the Next G network to see if it lives up to Telstra's claim it provides equal or better coverage compared to the CDMA network it replaces.

The report will be used to inform the decision on whether Telstra can close the network on 28 January, as planned. However, its delivery to Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy has been delayed.

A spokesperson for the Minister's office said ACMA had advised it that the report will now be delivered today.

Liberal communications spokesperson Bruce Billson said the Minister will be forced into making a rushed decision on the CDMA switch-off.

"The audit report input is now not expected for another week, leaving the Minister just days to hastily decide whether the CDMA switch-off can proceed on 28 January, without leaving mobile phone users worse off under Next G," he said in a statement, adding: "The decision to switch off the CDMA network is something that should not be taken lightly."

Telstra conducted its own audits last year, sending out a team to conduct a four-month long drive test, covering 120,000 kilometres and collecting data on CDMA and Next G coverage levels around the country. According to the telco, Next G now covers an area 25 percent greater than CDMA.

However, former Communications Minister Helen Coonan repeatedly voiced concerns about the network's performance, telling ZDNet Australia late last year that she believes Next G has "enormous problems".