Vodafone and 3G

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BDFL - Memuneh
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#7805 17-Aug-2004 21:01

Hey Freitasm what words are not allowed to be included in a posting? I got an error msg then whenever I typed my reply again keep getting an error trying to post! Maybe johnr has stopped us from saying anything anti-vodafone! :-)

Microsoft VBScript runtime error '800a01c9'

This key is already associated with an element of this collection

/i_utils.asp, line 95

sbiddle, I can't list the words here, since it won't allow me to post. The error you saw is because you've used more than one bad word in your post - thanks for your debug work, I've fixed this now.

But really, there's nothing that johnr has done on this...

Nraged

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#7941 25-Aug-2004 11:45

This is good news for consumers - voice costs will become very competitive since the costs to deliver voice over 3g are cheaper and the capacity is greater.

Having used a 3G phone for about 15 Months - they will be very popular - since the handsets are very up to date and offer consumers things they otherwise would not be able to do. Sure some functions are gimicks, but mobile video downloads, mobile java games, location based services and other apps are starting to become popular.

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#7949 25-Aug-2004 17:17

I doubt voice costs dropping in NZ when the likes of Vodafone are paying hundreds of millions to build a network..:-(
In the UK where you have 3G networks being deployed which will result in excess capacity on the networks it'll be a completely different story..

cws82us

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#7951 25-Aug-2004 19:09

telecom NZ is going to have 3g soon

join Quic and get free sign up when you click my link https://account.quic.nz/refer/250676

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#8052 28-Aug-2004 08:25

It's funny how when Telecom launched 1XRTT they claimed that WAS a 3G network. hmm..

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#8065 29-Aug-2004 10:26

A rather interesting story from Yahoo. It's funny how several big names inside Telecom have claimed EV-DO is so superior to WCDMA and that they won't be going down the WCDMA track yet obviously not everybody in Telecom is thinking this way..

http://sg.biz.yahoo.com/040827/15/3mq8f.html

Friday August 27, 1:18 PM
NZ Telecom, Telstra 3G JV Hinges On Vodafone's Success
By Shri Navaratnam

Of DOW JONES NEWSWIRES

ADVERTISEMENT

WELLINGTON (Dow Jones)--New Zealand's Telecom Corp. (NZT) may yet team up with Australia's Telstra Corp. (TLS) in building a third-generation mobile network in New Zealand, but analysts believe Telecom won't take the multimillion dollar plunge until it sees other 3G services take off.

Long-running talks between Telecom and Telstra to build a 3G network broke down in March this year, but both sides have been careful not to close the door to a deal.

Indeed, in a market the size of New Zealand there isn't room for more than two 3G networks. The country's dominant mobile phone service provider, Vodafone Group PLC (VOD), has got in first and is already rolling out its own 3G network. The success of Vodafone's network rollout will determine how much Telecom commits to the new technology, analysts said.

3G services are attracting attention from phone companies worldwide looking for new platforms to grow their earnings as revenue growth in traditional fixed-line and mobile voice businesses start to slow due to market saturation.

The new technology is increasingly seen as a potential source of new growth with its ability to support high-speed applications combining voice, video and data products such as e-mail and Web service in that network.

Telecom is already planning to build its own 3G network, but on a very limited scale and using a technology platform that some consider will prove inferior to Vodafone's.

In June, Telecom said it will offer 3G services in New Zealand's major cities by Christmas using its NZ$40 million investment in Evolution Data Optimized, or EV-DO, technology. EVDO is a competing technology to the wideband code division multiple access, or W-CDMA, technology that Vodafone is currently building.

Telecom Pursing Multi-Pronged Strategy

Some like Daiwa Securities analyst Jerry Yeu argue that Vodafone's W-CDMA will outpace Telecom's EV-DO in the capabilities of its 3G offering, and believe EV-DO is probably a stopgap for Telecom.

David Boyce, an analyst at ABN AMRO, said: "Telecom is keeping its options open and at the same time pursuing a strategy to take advantage of the opportunities in 3G."

Telecom, however, says that EV-DO will be sufficient to offer 3G services for high-speed data applications, noting that a number of mobile providers in the U.S., Asia and other regions have deployed the technology.

Vodafone, the world's largest mobile services provider, has already begun building its W-CDMA 3G mobile network in New Zealand and Australia after selecting Nokia Corp. (NOK) for the project in May. Vodafone is partnering Australia's Optus to roll out its 3G services in that country, expected in mid-2005.

The U.K.-based company, which is the No. 1 mobile phone service provider in New Zealand with a market share of just under 55%, has said it doesn't want to partner up with anyone in New Zealand as that would hurt its ability to make decisions on when and where the network is deployed.

Vodafone's swift dominance of the local mobile market over Telecom since starting operations in late 1998 has led Telecom, which holds the balance of the market, to pursue a multi-pronged strategy to retain and grow its share of the market.

Telstra, through its New Zealand unit TelstraClear, provides fixed-line voice and data services, but hasn't yet fulfilled its aim of providing its own mobile phone service in New Zealand.

Technology, Handset Availability Important

Telecom's general manager of corporate affairs, Philip King, told Dow Jones Newswires recently that the company is ready to go down the W-CDMA road if the need arises.

"We see that 3G services are now starting to make their presence felt in some markets globally, so we think it's time to take advantage of" the partnership with Hong Kong's Hutchison Whampoa Ltd. (0013.HK), said King.

King was referring to Telecom's 20% stake in Hutchison's 3G network in Australia, and the expected resale of 3G products by Telecom in that market through its AAPT unit in coming months.

But the news that raised eyebrows was Telstra's move earlier this month to shore up its position in Australia's mobile telephone market with a A$450 million deal to buy a 50% stake in Hutchison's 3G network.

The Telstra-Hutchison deal had some in the market talking about Telecom eventually partnering Telstra in New Zealand to build its 3G network.

King said that there were "clearly a number of possibilities" and nothing has been ruled out. Telecom isn't closing the door to a 3G partnership despite a breakdown in talks with TelstraClear, he said.

Daiwa Securities' Yeu goes one step further, saying: "If you look at how this deal has evolved with Telstra and Hutchison, you could expect some sort of network-sharing agreement with TelstraClear and Telecom."

Fund manager Ricky Ward of Tyndall Investment Management New Zealand believes Telecom will closely watch the progress made by Vodafone.

"It will be prudent for Telecom to do a joint venture with Telstra, but taking a steady approach to things is a sensible thing to do," he said.

ABN AMRO's Boyce says it comes down to a question of which technology takes off globally and the handset availability each technology offers for 3G services.

"That's one reason for Telecom to keep its options open," he said.

Telecom's cautious approach is well founded, said Daiwa Securities' Yeu, as 3G services haven't taken off in a big way globally.

freitasm

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#8070 29-Aug-2004 14:38

Interesting... This story says Vodafone is rolling out the network - but obviously they don't say that the service is not available. On the topic of Telstra, note that Telstra Australia is not building any network or acquiring any know-how. They simply bought 50% of 3, from Hutchison. They just put money in the thing to get the right to use the network. Telecom NZ may partner with then, but simply because AAPT (TNZ) in Australia is partner with Hutchison.

I think the article is really just not showing the whole picture.

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#8071 29-Aug-2004 16:00

I just don't think any of the telecoms companies really know what they are doing! :-) In the story they refer to Vodafone's announcement last week re their combined rollout with Optus, something they firmly denied doing only a few months ago where they said committed to a rollout by themselves. The big factor that makes things interesting in oz is that I believe Telstra was the only network who obtained an Australian wide 3G spectrum licence, all the other licences where for limited areas only so there were very good reasons for companies to form joint ventures when it came to deploying their networks.

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#8258 1-Sep-2004 18:50

That story was very biased and not entirely accurate in its reporting. Yes vodafone announced that they were launching a 3GSM network before telecom announced T3G but they have both started the roll out and T3G should be commercially available (at least for data only devices) well before vodafone. Saying that W-CDMA is superior to EV-DO is not accurate at all, in fact EV-DO will deliver a higher average data rate albeit through a smaller pipe being still within the so called narrow band frequencies whereas WCDMA is in the higher bandwidth frequencies. Both 3GSM and T3G in their launch colours are only stepping stones to full blown 3G services with 4G to come

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#8491 12-Sep-2004 23:06

Voice quality.

GSM is miles ahead of CDMA in TRUE voice quality. Call someone like Telecom (or somone else who has a 10 minute wait time from both a CDMA and a GSM handset and listen to the difference in the music.. (make it a nokia to be fair to both)

CDMA's VOICE is slightly "clearer" in a very noisy situation only because of the noise suppression.

It has a Variable codec meaning it seems to annoyingly loose segments of speech, usually numbers and other important details. It tries to adjusts the data rate back up when need be after silence and kinda misses a bit. agrh!

There is another codec, the excellent QCELP which was dumped as the inferior EVRC codec had a lower data rate for the stingy telco operator.

021 GSM 13Kbps conatant (stock EFR GSM codec on most phones)
027 Qcelp 13Kbps constant (if you can find one they sound fantastic)
027 EVRC 8Kbps variable (Every 027 handset is selected on this, read above.)
025 8Kbps constant (every D-AMPS 025 uses this, and it's not bad!)

kiwisteve

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#9575 24-Oct-2004 09:48

Hi !
On a trip to Wellington recently I set the Mot A 835 to W CDMA only
I did a search and it came up Vnz 530 - 01 straight away so obviuosly
carrier present in the city . But phone failed to register / make any calls etc
but came up on screen Emergency Only

Steve

freitasm

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#9576 24-Oct-2004 11:46

There are some 3G cell sites in Auckland and Wellington. Vodafone will do a 3G demo in Wellington to the press, really soon, similar to the one TelstraClear did last year.

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#9633 26-Oct-2004 18:28

A large number of Wgtn sites already have the new gear on them and they're certainly upgrading them pretty quickly. WCDMA coverage in Wgtn is going to cover the whole city area and suburbs and as far north as the Naenae site in the Hutt and Johnsonville heading the other way.

freitasm

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#9635 26-Oct-2004 18:37

Been to a Vodafone 3G demo today, on Mobil on the Park. Nice powerpoints, Nokia and Sony Ericsson presenting, some stuff about content. Push-to-talk demo, 3G video-call as well. Had a bit of problem using the 3G version of Vodafone MCC card.

Overall a good talk, the idea is glued together well. Some interesting news, like push-to-talk available on 2.5G and 3G, HSPDA testing in New Zealand sometime next year.

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#9640 26-Oct-2004 21:46

Did they talk much about HSPDA? If it lives up to what it promises Telecom will be very much regretting spending so much money bragging about T3G being the fastest mobile data network in NZ! :-)

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