XT Telecom Spin - True or False?

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NZGroover

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#295783 3-Feb-2010 17:42

langi27: 2 Degrees were smart to keep GSM, I don't know the exact numbers but there are a lot more international roamers with GSM/WCDMA handsets than WCDMA850 handsets. Telcom has missed out on about 3-5 years of GSM roaming revenue, and I also expect the majority of people just want to use Voice and txt only and have no need for high speed internet. GSM is perfect for this. Handsets are dirt cheap and simple to use.

Ahhhhh..............yes XT customers can roam on GSM.

DeroyBoy

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#295784 3-Feb-2010 17:46

NZGroover:
langi27: 2 Degrees were smart to keep GSM, I don't know the exact numbers but there are a lot more international roamers with GSM/WCDMA handsets than WCDMA850 handsets. Telcom has missed out on about 3-5 years of GSM roaming revenue, and I also expect the majority of people just want to use Voice and txt only and have no need for high speed internet. GSM is perfect for this. Handsets are dirt cheap and simple to use.

Ahhhhh..............yes XT customers can roam on GSM.

He is talking about inbound roamers roaming on a Telecom GSM network, but why build an additional network just for roamers

paradoxsm

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#295788 3-Feb-2010 17:57

There were a lot more 850MHz GSM devices and hardly any 850MHz UMTS devices at the time the GSM rollout began but that started to change rapidly and they went with the second option, all UMTS. I was looking at "future proofed" phones and found very few initially.

I'm quite glad they changed tact. GSM backup would have been handy in the few outages and could have creamed the inbound roaming market and had a plethora of devices but I think it's certainly outweighed by the speed and coverage footprint on 850 UMTS.

richms

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#295811 3-Feb-2010 19:23

GSM as a backup is assuming that the point of failure isnt common to both networks.

With the amount of time I have been swearing at an iPhone on vodafone for dropping back to GPRS when trying to use it I think the lack of GSM fallback is a positive thing.

Telecom didnt need another low entry cost network for people that just want to text and talk, they already have one of those called CDMA, By the time it is shut down there should be some respectable sub $100 handsets from companies you have heard of so no big deal. Just like when analog shut down there was heaps of cheap CDMA handsets available, but there were none when CMDA launched.

IMO installing a network where they are already planning the replacement of its replacement would have been more stupid. THey would have found themselves where 2 degrees are with just low revenue users on it and no way to support the services that people who are prepared to pay more want. Oh yah, 2100 3g only from 2 degrees. Welcome to 5 years ago on vodafone....

Richard rich.ms

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