Telstra has withdrawn its appeal against a Court ruling which found that it engaged in "misleading" and "illegal" conduct in its Next G advertising, following a decision by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) which disputed claims about the coverage of the network.
Today Optus announced plans to expand its 3G network coverage next year to 98 percent of Australia and will bring mobile speeds up to 42Mbps by 2010, in a direct challenge to rival Telstra.
While the relative merits of Next G vs CDMA as a mobile phone network will forever remain in question, no one seems to be arguing that Next G is winning out when it comes to data.
Broadband Minister Stephen Conroy has hinted that Telstra could be given the formal go ahead to close its CDMA network on 28 April, after Telstra confirmed its plan to address the government's criticisms over the replacement Next G network.
While the news of a three-month delay to the closure of Telstra's CDMA network has been welcomed by many, a number of problems still haunt Next G.
Optus, Vodafone and Three have long struggled to match Telstra's reach outside the capital cities. Vodafone's major network upgrade is the best chance yet to dilute Next G's rural monopoly, but questions remain.
For all the horror stories of farmers left stranded by the shutdown of the CDMA network, there are plenty of success stories.
A while back, frustration with my inability to get online outside of the office drove me to invest in a 3G data service from Hutchinson's 3. For $30 per month, I get 2GB of data that's accessible pretty much anywhere I go (I do all my work in metropolitan areas).
Last week, a family friend rang for some technical help. "Telstra sold me this wireless Internet service and they promised it would work both at my home and at my office," he said. Said home is in the Melbourne CBD, and said office is in Kyneton, a lovely town about an hour away from Melbourne.
It has been a busy year in telecoms, whether because of the increasingly bitter relationship between Telstra and the government; the awarding of the contentious but (finally) progressive broadband contract to OPEL; the pivotal election that led to a change of government; or the move of 3G mobile technology into the mainstream at last.
In these two audio recordings, Nigel Dews, the CEO of mobile carrier 3, firstly goes through the current state of the company in detail and then deals with tough questions from reporters and analysts.
Check out our reviews of the Next G mobiles that Telstra recommends for use in rural areas.
NetComm Turbo 7 Series Wireless Gateway provides an easy set-up, good coverage and modest speed. While this system gives you the advantage of portable wireless gateway, wireless services are less reliable and cannot match ADSL2 speeds.
Telstra's prepaid wireless broadband offering is good for casual browsers or those who'd rather avoid dodgy Net cafes, but beware there's a pricing sting to be considered.
Fancy a 1.3Mbps broadband pipeline direct to your notebook, without a cable in sight? The new BigPond wireless data card makes good on Telstra's lofty promises for its Next G network.
The Telstra F850 offers a relatively inexpensive way to jump aboard the carrier's Next G platform, as long as you don't mind travelling in the slow lane.
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