From
http://kangarooisland.yourguide.com....t/1168811.html
The answer to almost every question you might have about Telstra's Next G
network is "it depends".
Telstra Countrywide customer service manager Lyndon Stoll and mobile
engineer Andrew Edwards were on Kangaroo Island for four days last week to
give their network an extreme workout and to respond to about 50 individual
inquiries emailed to The Islander and the Kangaroo Island Development Board
in December. An earlier trip was postponed because of the bushfires.
They managed to visit about 25 people and businesses individually, all over
the island, and will respond to the others via phone or email soon.
And the $64,000 question is: How did Next G compare to CDMA coverage?
I spent the day with the two Telstra reps in the car last Thursday as they
visited customers in American River, MacGillivray, Haines and Vivonne Bay
areas.
The car was set up with two hands-free kits with mounted antennae, one with
a Kyosera CDMA phone, the other with an LG TXU550. There were also other
phones - the Nokia 6120 and the new Telstra 165 "Country Phone". This last
phone was connected to a magnetic antenna on the roof by a fly lead.
The Next G LG phone outperformed the CDMA hands down, dropping out only once
on the way to American River from Kingscote and maintaining signal along the
American River turn-off, at Jumbuck Australiana and all the way down Barrett's
Road as the CDMA dropped out regularly.
The "Country Phone" also performed exceptionally well.
Emu Ridge Eucalyptus presented a real "black spot" challenge with the Next G
phones able to maintain intermittent coverage and the CDMA nothing.
Emu Ridge's Larry Turner was impressed by the Next G wireless broadband
demonstration.
"If it's out there we'd like to be able to use it. It'd be nice to catch up
with the rest of the world," he said.
The Next G phones continued to have signal along Birchmore Road beyond the
pony club and the CDMA dropped out.
Mr Stoll has been working to fix issues for Kangaroo Island people,
arranging to have contracts cancelled, new phones issued, suggesting
antennae and car kits at various sites.
Mr Edwards, who designed the Next G network on Kangaroo Island said there
was a general misconception that Next G would be considerably better than
CDMA.
"It's not a leap in coverage but it does deliver equivalent or better
coverage".
Next G gets KI workout 
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