Telstra bids adieu to its CDMA network

Telstra has finally received the go ahead from the Aussie government to close down its CDMA network, after three months of waiting. The telco had hoped to close it down in January of this year, after its 3G network reached the same coverage levels, but was prevented by the government.

The country’s communications minister said at the time that Telstra had problems with handheld coverage, how customers were informed about the changeover and issues with how its 3G handsets were being sold. Telstra has now satisfied the government that it’s fixed up all the issues and can shut off CDMA.

While the network was still popular with some users, notably farmers, the vast majority of users had already migrated to Telstra’s 3G network, known as Next G, so it was only a matter of time til it bit the dust. That said, the postponement of the network earlier this year threw a sour note into the relationship between the new Rudd government and Telstra – hopefully the closure will go some way to restoring their mutual appreciation.