Telstra claims its Next G network covers 98 percent of the Australian population and is the fastest in the country. CNET.com.au explains what Next G is and how it differs from other providers, and compares the Next G mobile phones available.
Telsta's What is Next G?
Next G is the name given to Telstra's 3G network that will eventually replace its nationwide CDMA network. Telstra uses the 850MHz band for Next G, unlike the other 3G networks in Australia which operate in the 2100MHz space. Increased range is one of Telstra's motives for using this alternative band -- it claims some of its rural and coastal base stations have a range of up to 200km thanks to this.
Like its competitors Vodafone and 3, Telstra uses High Speed Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) on its Next G network. Telstra, however, claims its Next G network can provide the fastest download speeds of any mobile phone operator in the country -- up to a theoretical maximum of 14.4Mbps -- while the others are limited to 3.6Mbps.
What is offered on Next G?
As well as high-speed downloads to your phone, Next G customers are offered access to 16 Foxtel channels, music downloads, mobile blogging and search. Some handsets, such as the i-mate JASJAM, can also be linked to laptops via USB or Bluetooth to act as a wireless modem. Next G also supports dedicated wireless modems, with Telstra offering USB dongle, USB desktop and PC card varieties.
Should I swap my Telstra CDMA service to Next G?
Since Telstra launched we've had anecdotal feedback from rural Next G users claiming the coverage is worse in their area than Telstra's CDMA service; however, Telstra has repeatedly stated that Next G coverage will be the same or better than CDMA by early 2008.
Next G phone reviews:
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