Thanks Jim but at the prices I LAST checked out they are many $$$$$$, I admit that was many moons back but I will check again soon to see if things a better now.
The mobile phone system we have should still be better though. IMO.
__________________
Live Life On Your Terms
DOUGChief One Feather (Losing feathers with age)
TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy
DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV (with some changes)
Yes, the call costs on satellite phones are higher than the land based GSM mobile phone system - but my answer was in response to Doug's request - he wishes to have coverage- 'anywhere' - and you can have the coverage you want now with a satellite phone.
If you consider that a land based GSM tower has (at best average) a coverage of thirty km's radius - (and it will vary depending on the terrain) - it's not possible to erect the number of towers needed to cover the whole country, let alone run landlines to all those towers to service them.
Your request to cover the whole country with GSM coverage is unrealistic and cost prohibitive.If that wasn't the case, it would be have been done by now.
You can only erect towers where there is a landline to service the tower - and there has to be enough mobile phone traffic to warrant the cost of the tower.
Considering the huge size of the country and our relatively small population we are well served with GSM mobile phone coverage in Australia - especially with Telstra..
Yes - we travel to remote places where there's no GSM mobile phone coverage - and we have a HF radio and a satellite phone as back-ups if we get into trouble (Neither have ever been needed for emergency use). We also have a UHF radio for highway and close travel communication.
You're entitled to your opinion Doug, but you need to be realistic with your expectations - and you have voiced your opinion about not being willing to pay for the coverage you wish to have, as it is available now.
Yes, the call costs on satellite phones are higher than the land based GSM mobile phone system - but my answer was in response to Doug's request - he wishes to have coverage- 'anywhere' - and you can have the coverage you want now with a satellite phone.
If you consider that a land based GSM tower has (at best average) a coverage of thirty km's radius - (and it will vary depending on the terrain) - it's not possible to erect the number of towers needed to cover the whole country, let alone run landlines to all those towers to service them.
Your request to cover the whole country with GSM coverage is unrealistic and cost prohibitive. If that wasn't the case, it would be have been done by now.
You can only erect towers where there is a landline to service the tower - and there has to be enough mobile phone traffic to warrant the cost of the tower.
Considering the huge size of the country and our relatively small population we are well served with GSM mobile phone coverage in Australia - especially with Telstra..
Yes - we travel to remote places where there's no GSM mobile phone coverage - and we have a HF radio and a satellite phone as back-ups if we get into trouble (Neither have ever been needed for emergency use). We also have a UHF radio for highway and close travel communication.
You're entitled to your opinion Doug, but you need to be realistic with your expectations - and you have voiced your opinion about not being willing to pay for the coverage you wish to have, as it is available now.
Jim
Substantially correct in my opinion, but the potential game changer is the NBN.
They are considering a wireless option in some remote areas (primarily for broadband connection) but also to feed mobile towers and/or having 'all' mobile operators potentially fitting 'GSM' eqpt to their towers.
That is of course if the Govt. can get its NBN act together, which I seriously doubt. We seem to be cursed with a succession of D head Communications Ministers.
Our system leaves Mobile providers to cherry pick coverage areas where they can turn a dollar for the least cost, supported to a poor extent by a Community Service Obligation scheme where all operators contribute to some costs, usually as part of their licence conditions & perhaps based on their market share. That is also supported to some extent by State & Federal Govts. providing funding to extend coverage to areas that they choose as appropriate ... like remote communities. Then there are the other interest groups like mining companies who have a finger in the pie/stew.
In other words a costly, complicated, inefficient mess & I have outlined only a bit of it.
I have a personal view that Communications (particularly broadband access - but perhaps you can through mobile phones into the basket too) is an essential service and aught be treated like Health, Roads & Education rather than being left to the free market process.
But then look at the mess that H R & E are in.
We (the Govt.) aught to fund an up to date NBN Fibre to the Premises, or wireless/satelite equivalent in remote areas with Free enterprise providing competing services/products using the NBN.
Sorry that I got a bit off topic ... but I get easily wound up on the subject of communications.
We have too many Politicians & not enough Statesmen.
edit ... By the way, I won't bore you further with my view of that lame duck, biased & politicised ACCC
-- Edited by Cupie on Sunday 3rd of August 2014 12:49:04 PM
I think we the baby boomers and before can remember travelling around with no phones or two way radios, CB radio didn't become popular until the mid 70's which followed with UHF CB, then came analogue phones followed by CDMA and now digital.
My experience having owned phones on all formats the CDMA seemed to give a greater reception area.
On my recent trip to Darwin, I had a Samsung Note 2 which like some other brands have the ability to connect an external antenna. the Samsung its just a case of locating the antenna plugs approximate position remove the back cover and drill an access hole, plug a patch cable to the connector to and external antenna (A WORD OF WARNING ENSURE YOU PHONE IS IN A SECURE MOUNT AS THE ANTENNA CONNECTOR IF NOT SECURE YOU COULD BREAK THE CONECTOR, YEP HOW DO I KNOW I BROKE MINE WHEN IT SLIPPED OUT OF THE CRADLE EXPENSIVE LESSON). A 9db gain external antenna can extend the range up to 50km depending on terrain, with the direct connection, there is an other option for an external antenna this is a passive connection its like a mini antenna that is placed near the back of the phone that links to the external antenna, this method is not as good as the direct connection.
Do a bit of research find a provider that uses telsta's network more often they will give you great value for money, currently I'm with Vodafone but when I travel out of main coverage areas I use a ALDI prepaid sim, my new phone is unlocked and I have a dual sim adapter.
I was not trying to be a smart *** and I am not saying anyone was saying that either, just making a comment that way back in the 60's we could speak to someone on the moon but not everywhere here even with the technology available today. No biggy really. If I find I am desperate for communication in the middle of know where I will get a Satellite phone.
__________________
Live Life On Your Terms
DOUGChief One Feather (Losing feathers with age)
TUG.......2014 Holden LT Colorado Twin Cab Ute with Canopy
DEN....... 2014 "Chief" Arrow CV (with some changes)
Mobile phone towers do not need a landline these days.
They can be fed by microwave bearers or even by satellite link.
frank
Spot on.
My comment about use of NBN towers refers to Mobile network providers wanting to fix their Mobile gear to NBN towers & connect to NBN for their mobile network access.
There may well be thousands of NBN towers around the place over time.
I expect that Telstra will make commercial arrangements with NBN for joint use of some of their towers if appropriate.
Sure is Cupie and getting more complex all the time.
I often wondered why all those repeater towers that follow the Stuart highway north from Pt Augusta and all the way to Alice and Uluru are not set up with mobile equipment and patched to the existing network on the tower.
would provide mobile coverage on one our busiest tourist routes.
just a thought
frank
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Avagreatday.
Kathy and Frank currently at Home near Quirindi NSW
