Vodacom first VodaFone group partner to launch HSDPA

[MrG]

The previous thread was closed, so now there is a place for Vodacom3G to revert as he promised

 

[Skeptik]

Why was it closed?
Why is it important that we hear this snippet about Vodacom?

 

[Deiphos]

Skeptik, why do you say something when you are not contributing to the thread? This thread was on its way out to page no. 2, it didn't bother anyone and wasn't being replied to. If you don't like Vodacom, simply don't come to this thread, you don't have to always flame Vodacom or its supporters. Most people on this thread are here to tell v3g about problems they have, then he fixes them.

For example, would you run up to the guy with the white flag above his head in a battle and shoot him in cold blood? I think not, so why blame Vodacom for using a service that is cutting edge and doing there best to keep the research phase of this rollout easy for its customers?

Like the saying goes, "If you don't have anything good to say, say nothing at all"

Peace be with you

 

[Skeptik]

How is opening this thread contributing anything to the forum? Do you think anyone apart from Vodacom employees really care whether Vodacom SA were 1st or 5th to rollout HSDPA? After all HSDPA for the networks is only a software upgrade. IMHO we don't need advertising and marketing here - there is enough on the internet and the TV to last us a century.

My experiences of Vodacom have been bad, yes, and despite trying to resolve them - Vodacom customer service does nothing. As long as that situation remains I should be able to balance the drivel rolled out by Voda supporters on this forum by asking pertinent questions. If Vodacom supporters do not wish to step up and answer difficult questions (much like our politicians do) then so be it. If you don't like my questions or statements, don't read them. If you wish to attack my point of view feel free, then as the mods say - don't make it personal like you have done above

 

[MrG]

How is opening this thread contributing anything to the forum? Do you think anyone apart from Vodacom employees really care whether Vodacom SA were 1st or 5th to rollout HSDPA? After all HSDPA for the networks is only a software upgrade. IMHO we don't need advertising and marketing here - there is enough on the internet and the TV to last us a century.

My experiences of Vodacom have been bad, yes, and despite trying to resolve them - Vodacom customer service does nothing. As long as that situation remains I should be able to balance the drivel rolled out by Voda supporters on this forum by asking pertinent questions. If Vodacom supporters do not wish to step up and answer difficult questions (much like our politicians do) then so be it. If you don't like my questions or statements, don't read them. If you wish to attack my point of view feel free, then as the mods say - don't make it personal like you have done above

I care, thats why I am asking - general knowledge.

 

[Deiphos]

Sorry if it came across as a personal attack, that was not my intention.

Have you ever PM'd v3g with your details and description of when the problem began and what the problem is? I find doing this helps a bit, and when I did it a Vodacom techie phoned me the very next day.

I have personally never phoned 155, maybe I am saved from doing so, but from the help I have received from v3g I am pretty happy, he tries his best, on and off the forums. You will probably notice that I also went through a stage where I accused Vodacom for not listening to their customers, but since I had the helping hand of v3g most of my problems have been sorted.

 

[Skeptik]

Sorry if it came across as a personal attack, that was not my intention.

No Problem.

We're off topic here but anyway ..

Have you ever PM'd v3g with your details and description of when the problem began and what the problem is? I find doing this helps a bit, and when I did it a Vodacom techie phoned me the very next day.

I have personally never phoned 155, maybe I am saved from doing so, but from the help I have received from v3g I am pretty happy, he tries his best, on and off the forums. You will probably notice that I also went through a stage where I accused Vodacom for not listening to their customers, but since I had the helping hand of v3g most of my problems have been sorted.

I have spoke personally to several Voda personnel on the general front - Marshall Zito and on the tech front Etienne. They sound charming and plausible until you can never reach them again and the original issue(s) remain. Hot air, and soft soap on this forum. I won't comment on V3g because I will just get told off again.

 

[vodacom3g]

How is opening this thread contributing anything to the forum? Do you think anyone apart from Vodacom employees really care whether Vodacom SA were 1st or 5th to rollout HSDPA? After all HSDPA for the networks is only a software upgrade.

Skeptik, you'll recall you actually started this specific discussion by stating HSDPA is old technology. Some forumites responded it's not and I said I'll find out how quick in the adoption cycle Vodacom was.

The point under discussion was that early adopters often have to debug the systems.

You're right, HSDPA was just a software upgrade. How many software upgrades have you gone through that was faultless, especially in the version 1 to 2 life-cycle?

I'd love to see the response we'd get if we adopted technology months or years after the rest of the world. I'm sure the sceptics out there would have a field day with that....

So this is not a marketing effort by Vodacom. As a matter of fact, I don't think VC ever published anything on the subject.

This thread is rather a direct response to the statement you posed.

 

[DigitalSoldier]

I'd love to see the response we'd get if we adopted technology months or years after the rest of the world. I'm sure the sceptics out there would have a field day with that....

*Cough*Telkom*Cough*

 

[vodacom3g]

Ok, got some interesting (and meaningless) stats on the topic:

Number of commercial networks worldwide (today):

GSM - 690
GSM/EDGE - 151
GSM/EDGE/WCDMA - 40
WCDMA - 112
HSDPA - 34

CDMA2000 - 157
CDMA 1x EV-DO - 38 (CDMA2000's answer to HSDPA)

GSM/WCDMA has got the bulk share by far, with more than 85% of the world markets. TRust the Yanks to be different....


HSDPA Launch Info:

A lot of the launches happened in batches, i.e. a number of networks launched at the same time. Probably as the software became available.

Vodacom was the 1st Vodafone network and the 7th network worldwide to launch HSDPA. The first were:

1) Cingular, USA - October 2005
2) Manx, Isle of Man - November 2005

(I wonder what kit they use, or if they really went live. At this point everyone had test networks but nothing commercial)

3) Mobilkom, Austria - Jan 2006
4) 3 Italia - Feb 2006 - limited launch
5) Wataniya, Kuwait - Feb 2006
6) Optimus, Portugal - Feb 2006 - one city

Vodacom was the first Vodafone network to go fully live with HSDPA in March 2006. A number of Vodafone countries also did launch during March but with a limited roll-out, including Germany, the home of Siemens.

Discounting the 2005 launches, Vodacom launched within 30 to 60 days of the networks that went live first, and before most European countries.

I believe that'll count as being an early adopter. (With the resultant periods of pain for everyone...)

 

[Deiphos]

Nice to know, it seems then that there will be a few networks who might just help us in the struggle to get HSDPA bug free

/ Edit
It is nice to see that SA is leading with something other than telkom's infinite stupidity.

 

[DigitalSoldier]

If only telkom had the same motivation Vodacom got

 

[telkomsuig]

Vodacom was the 1st Vodafone network and the 7th network worldwide to launch HSDPA. The first were:

1) Cingular, USA - October 2005
2) Manx, Isle of Man - November 2005

(I wonder what kit they use, or if they really went live. At this point everyone had test networks but nothing commercial)

3) Mobilkom, Austria - Jan 2006
4) 3 Italia - Feb 2006 - limited launch
5) Wataniya, Kuwait - Feb 2006
6) Optimus, Portugal - Feb 2006 - one city

Vodacom was the first Vodafone network to go fully live with HSDPA in March 2006. A number of Vodafone countries also did launch during March but with a limited roll-out, including Germany, the home of Siemens.

Discounting the 2005 launches, Vodacom launched within 30 to 60 days of the networks that went live first, and before most European countries.

I believe that'll count as being an early adopter. (With the resultant periods of pain for everyone...)

Thought MTN beat Vodacom to HSDPA launch with a week ... wouldn't that put Vodacom in 8th place...

 

[MrG]

MTN had A tower working, with no customers. lol - Once again, Vodacom had test towers, they couldve done the same... um tower in um rosebank is HDSPA enabled no customers can use it because there are no cards/phones.

 

[DigitalSoldier]

Nope Vodacom launched HSPDA first.

 

[DigitalSoldier]

MrG- Yea and they had no data cards to supply

 

[MrG]

Both MTN and Vodacom, two of South Africa's leading GSM operators have already announced their deployment of the fast HSDPA service delivering theoretical downlink speeds of 1.8 Mbit/s after introducing UMTS 3G services more than 14 months ago. Vodacom was the first to deploy HSDPA commercially in South Africa becoming the 14th network world-wide to deploy HSDPA which created some kind of a battle between the two networks who have become renowned for their fierce competition in the mobile broadband space to be the first to launch new and innovative technologies and services.
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