Announcements
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CDMA customers benefit from Telstra Coverage Advocate program
Telstra today announced that its specially trained Coverage Advocates had already made contact with thousands of CDMA customers, providing an unprecedented level of support to customers as they make the move to the Next G™ network.Telstra Country Wide® Group Managing Director, Geoff Booth, said the Coverage Advocate team had already made thousands of phone calls and conducted over 550 visits to CDMA customer homes and workplaces to prove coverage equivalence and help ensure they get the right handsets and equipment," Mr Booth said.
Some initial examples of positive results include:
- Cockatoo VIC - customer could make calls from within their house with the Next G™ network but could not with the old CDMA network.
- Lakes Entrance VIC - business customer tested the Next G™ service on country roads and was surprised to find he could not make a call from his old CDMA phone but could on the Next G™ Country Phone™.
- Neerim South VIC - farmer who didn't have CDMA coverage in patches on a cattle property but has coverage all over with the Next G™ network.
- Dandaragan WA - customer could not hold a call on their CDMA phone in their house but the Next G™ network worked fine.
"The great news is that the Coverage Advocates program is working and the remaining CDMA customers are making the move to the Next G™ network with added surety and confidence," Mr Booth said.
The Coverage Advocates were announced in response to the recent statement by the Minister for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy, the Hon Stephen Conroy, that he believes the Next G™ network footprint is equivalent to the CDMA network but that he wanted Telstra to put in place extra measures to help customers with handset issues.
Mr Booth said the Coverage Advocates were proactively contacting CDMA customers to talk to them about how best to migrate to Telstra's Next G™ network and where required, arranging personal visits to CDMA customers' homes or work, which was proving particularly helpful for farmers who live outside of the main towns and regional centres.
"We want to ensure CDMA customers enjoy an easy migration to the Next G™ network. In addition to the Coverage Advocates program, we've launched a hotline - 1800 888 888 - for customers to use if they are experiencing genuine issues with their Next G™ handsets.
"It's important customers understand that as with any mobile network, coverage on the Next G™ network depends on a person's location, the handset being used, and whether that handset has an external antenna attached.
"Our intention is to resolve any coverage issue in a timely and efficient manner so customers can start enjoying the benefits of Telstra's Next G™ network," Mr Booth said.
Telstra Disclaimer:
Like any other mobile network, Next G™ mobile telephone coverage depends in part on where you are, what particular handset you are using and whether your handset has an external antenna attached.
Reference Number: 040/2008
