camo786: What happens with Datacards like T-Stick?

I suspect they don't work? and if not will Telecom release a new one

NeoTech: With the lack of signal strength here at home, I have some homework to do deciding to stay with VF or perhaps look at XT for stable service. It will all come down to what VF are doing around here with 900MHz UMTS (if anything). Working from home means cell service is important here also, not just while mobile. When I moved to VF I also had signal strength issues with Telecom, so it's always been an issue.



And moving house isn't an option!

bbman: I probably wouldn't expect either service to be dramatically better for reception to be honest, you may have to look outside of the box for solution?

matt45: good blog post!, can only pray people read it!

GRRRR hurry up apple with 3.0 and new iphone so i can buy it and port my number!!!

steve98: The situation regarding the new iPhone is making me very nervous. I have a bit of a theory about it:

The current iPhone 3G is being sold unlocked here in NZ, meaning it can work on any network. In almost every other country where it is sold, the device is locked to the carrier selling it.

What if Vodafone knew that the shelf-life for the current-generation iPhone 3G was such that it would be deleted from sale before the new Telecom network went live. What if they have subsequently secured an exclusive on the new iPhone rumoured to be launched in June, and this time they lock it to Vodafone?

What this would mean is that Telecom customers wanting an iPhone would be left with the last generation model, which they would have to source second-hand. If they then got hooked and decided they wanted the latest iPhone, they would have no choice but to switch to Vodafone.

Is it possible that Voda have been this shrewd and have engineered this from the outset?

So the decision is.... do you buy a current-gen iPhone now while you can still buy them brand new, or do you wait and risk Telecom not securing the device for the network, Vodafone securing it as an exclusive and locking to the Vodafone network only, and then having to buy a second-hand one.

I hate uncertainty!

NeoTech:

Is it possible Telecom (XT Network) will negotiate with Apple to supply a model fitting their network though?

matt45: the current model fits telecoms netowrk beter than it fits vodafones!!!

steve98: Yes its possible... but what if they don't? Then we could be stuck with the situation I described. And no, it is not a trivial matter to unlock an iPhone. In fact, I'm pretty sure it was never fully achieved for the iPhone 3G. Even if it was achieved, you would always run the risk of being locked out again with the next firmware update. At best you'd have a phone that has to be hacked to work, and that's far from the ideal situation that exists with the current model.