How long does it take?

[lilDeath]

For a new cell phone model to be approved on the Vodacom network??

My contract is up for renewal but the phone I want is not yet available on Vodacom.

It is the Nokia N80.

CellC has been selling it for at least the last month, think it is even longer.

I keep on hearing from Vodacom reps "They are testing it".

What is taking so long??

If number portability was available CellC would've had my business...

 

[vodacom3g]

For a new cell phone model to be approved on the Vodacom network??

My contract is up for renewal but the phone I want is not yet available on Vodacom.

It is the Nokia N80.

CellC has been selling it for at least the last month, think it is even longer.

I keep on hearing from Vodacom reps "They are testing it".

What is taking so long??

If number portability was available CellC would've had my business...

...and you would have had a sub-standard phone.

The N80 failed testing and even now was released on concession with some issues unresolved. But is has been released so should be on the way to the channel.

 

[lilDeath]

...and you would have had a sub-standard phone.

The N80 failed testing and even now was released on concession with some issues unresolved. But is has been released so should be on the way to the channel.

Hey, thx for replying.
Can you please elaborate on the "sub-standard phone" comment? I have only seen good reviews about it....

I made a huge mistake in my last phone choice with the Nokia 6230.

I do not want to make the same mistake.

I started a thread on this topic here: http://mybroadband.co.za/vb/showthread.php?t=45104

 

[Prometheus]

What bothers me is this "The N80 failed testing and even now was released on concession with some issues unresolved". The 6680 also took so long too release and some issues are STILL not resolved. I wonder what qualifies as "sub-standard" for Vodacom.

 

[lilDeath]

ye, I would also like to know. Probably phones that don't work on their network???

Havent heard anything though.

The N80 thread is also an interesting read.

 

[vodacom3g]

In this specific case, the phone does not support half-rate on the voice side. This means that in very busy cells, you might not be able to make or receive a call, whereas a half-rate capable phone would still work.

 

[lilDeath]

Is this a phone / manufacturing deficiency on the phone vendor's part or on Vodacom network?

When you say very busy cells, I take it you mean cell towers?

What's the chances of this happening in any event, i.e. is it in extreme circumstances or everyday operation?

 

[vodacom3g]

Is this a phone / manufacturing deficiency on the phone vendor's part or on Vodacom network?

When you say very busy cells, I take it you mean cell towers?

What's the chances of this happening in any event, i.e. is it in extreme circumstances or everyday operation?

It's a feature Nokia decided not to implement on this model, actually quite a few Nokia's that does nor implement half-rate.

Depending if you're in a busy area of the network, say a shopping mall, it could affect you. The testing guys obviously feels it's an important enough feature.

 

[lilDeath]

Ok, thanks.

Do you perhaps know what the reason is for them to leave it out? They must have some rationale....

Is this a SA-thing again? (third world, etc.)

 

[swordfish1]

I will rather stay away from nokia, I have had nothing but ptoblems and poor software from them ... go for SE or something else

last time I was in CT I had to carry my old SE T610 because the new nokia can't keep GPRS connection up for more than 15 seconds ... pathetic

 

[Darth Garth]

In this specific case, the phone does not support half-rate on the voice side. This means that in very busy cells, you might not be able to make or receive a call, whereas a half-rate capable phone would still work.

So you mean on a poor overstretched GSM network the phone would not work so lekker ... odd that such issues don't seem to bother Nokia or other networks .

 

[vodacom3g]

So you mean on a poor overstretched GSM network the phone would not work so lekker ... odd that such issues don't seem to bother Nokia or other networks .

You mean in countries where backhaul is ample and dirt-cheap?

 

[kaspaas]

You mean in countries where backhaul is ample and dirt-cheap?

Can't VC selfprovide backhaul yet?

 

[Prometheus]

Nokia is a network now...

Be realistic t.d, if Vodacom have a reliance of half-rate, then that's a pre-requisite for any cellery phone to get Vodacom's stamp of approval for distribution to Vodacom retail outlets, besides it doesn't surprise me that half-rate is a pre-requisite considering how difficult it is to get permission to put up cell towers...

I think by networks he meant MTN and Cell-C/Virgin. He didn't state that Nokia was a network. Vodacom seems to be the only one relying on half-rate despite having the largest share of customers which should give them reason to provide for more people on their network.

 

[Prometheus]

No, t.d didn't specifically post that Nokia is a network, but was sufficiently ambiguous enough to suggest [even unintentionally] that Nokia might be a network in its own right...

Ok, get what you're saying there. Tibby, be less ambiguous next time.

Half-rate, as I understand it, allows a cell to make more efficient use of available resources - at the expense of call quality, so if a particular cell is overloaded with customer calls, the cell can opt to switch one or more calls over to use half-rate, now this would never happen if there was an unlimited [IOW infinite] number of cellery towers & cellery cells, but there is a limited number of cellery towers, and not all Vodacom's fault - Vodacom like MTN & CellC would love to have ample supply of cellery towers in currently over-subscribed areas, but residents will usually have something to say about radiation etc...and maybe half-rate produces less cellular radiation...?

So we should entertain Vodacom with lower quality calls just to pay the usual amount? If this is the case we should also pay half-rate for our calls. This will just benefit the cell companies again to handle more calls (read as more profits) with less equipment and I can't blame the phone makers for not wanting to implement it. It would ultimately lead to the cell companies taking advantage of lower quality calls on a daily basis which would dent their reputations.

The reason Cell-C and MTN does not have more towers is also arguably because they don't need so many for the size of their network and they can't afford so many (which is also debatable). Vodacom has more customers so they should therefor install more or better equipment at the busy places like malls to service their customers which paid for that equipment whether they actually get to use it or not instead of relying on the phone makers to take care of that for them. There is no reason for that to happen of course as this is South Africa where the consumer gets screwed at every turn. Viva Virgin! They're not old enough yet to screw anybody. If there is less radiation the relevant studies that were done which should be freely available should indicate that.

 

[DigitalSoldier]

Prometheus I understand what u are saying but its also not really vodacom's fault look at that article that made headlines the other day when a network tried to put up a new tower in a residential area, the residents moaned about it and the network operator werent allowed to put up a tower. Lots of people still worry about the radiation cell towers can give

 

[Prometheus]

Prometheus I understand what u are saying but its also not really vodacom's fault look at that article that made headlines the other day when a network tried to put up a new tower in a residential area, the residents moaned about it and the network operator werent allowed to put up a tower. Lots of people still worry about the radiation cell towers can give

But I'm not talking about towers. All of that is really irrelevant here. I'm talking about upgrading of existing towers of either Vodacom or another provider. I'm well aware of the situation where everybody's complaining about coverage but then at the same time not wanting any towers near them.

ic: I don't know what you're doubting there. Your own post said that the quality is less and the thread also says so with someone else also saying we should pay half rate, so I'm assuming it's not that. If it's the part about the half rate giving operators less incentive to upgrade, well I'll just let the other forumites comment on that.

 

[lilDeath]

No, t.d didn't specifically post that Nokia is a network, but was sufficiently ambiguous enough to suggest [even unintentionally] that Nokia might be a network in its own right...

I didn't get this impression....

So we should entertain Vodacom with lower quality calls just to pay the usual amount? If this is the case we should also pay half-rate for our calls.

I am all for this. Pay less for sub-standard quality.

If it's the part about the half rate giving operators less incentive to upgrade, well I'll just let the other forumites comment on that.

Don' know what precisely you mean, but if it is what I think and MNP was live and kicking, I would probably be a CellC / Virgin client right now...