NBN and Optus

Got this from bussiness week::

Oct. 6 (Bloomberg) -- Singapore Telecommunications Ltd.’s Australian unit Optus is in advanced talks to transfer its customers to the nation’s proposed national broadband network, the Australian Financial Review reported, without saying where it got the information. Optus has about 425,000 broadband cable customers and may sign a deal similar to that reached by Telstra Corp., the newspaper said.

The good thing about this information. *if its correct* That the private sector is starting to get behind the NBN project. This can only be a possitive. It also makes the liberal oppositions opposition to the project weaker

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Desire

The mobile phone issues after weeks of reading lots of reviews has been solved. I've brought the HTC Desire from Telstra. Here's the options and dilemmas


Google's Nexus One.

PRO's :: Can be updated any time with googles android operating system, pretty good specs.

CON's :: Vodafone plan $79, way to much, coverage including national roaming dosn't work in Leongatha!


HTC Desire 

PRO's :: The twin of the Nexus one, nearly the same phone except for HTC gui, pretty good specs, $49 cap plan pretty good, supprisingly from Telstra, best coverage in the country.

CON's :: Uncertainty of updates to 2.2 android, with Telstra

Samsung Galaxy S

PRO's:: Available for $49 from Optus, Best Specification,

CON's :: Reviews are pretty bad for Samsung's gui on it, no flash,  uncertainty of updates to 2.2 android.

There where also a lot of phones running android 1.6! This is a major downfall great spec machines yet they are using software that is out of date! eg sony expira x10.

Advice to Telstra's Board

I've thought up 5 ways to turn Telstra's current dismal performance around after there reported decline profit::

Be competitive::

Start matching Optus on deals, especially the bundles. When you have a family with lots of connectivity issues these bundles start to make sense. I made a quick comparison in my last post

Offer these deals to those in the Country::

There is a huge resentment when people who only get Telstra in the counrty they have one option Telstra. They pick up the newspaper and see hugely better deals with Optus.

If Telstra is competitive now, when Optus does roll out to these area people won't have any reason to leave.

Start investing in the community::

The reason the Bendigo Bank has such high credibility and loyalty is because they invest in what is happening locally. I know heaps of local clubs that have benefited.

Make the people on the help desks speak and understand Australian english ::

This is where Telstra shines over Optus at the moment, and need to keep up the good work. I hate having to explain over and over the in the end get transferred to something I don't want. Happens to often...

Start working with the Government::

Pretty simple really. If Telstra acts as the big bully all the time, its no wonder they get the bad end of the whip when it comes to regulations. If they want things to go there way they need to treat there customers with a bit of respect. Then the government will start to do the same.

Telstra discovering why they are stuffed

At last some acknowledgment from Telstra that their model is stuffed. From the ABC's web site::

The traditional fixed line telephone connection to almost every Australian home was once Telstra's bread and butter.
But for the past five years customers have been hanging up on Telstra, using their mobile phones instead, not just for voice calls but for text messages and emails....
"...The admission from David Thodey that connections have fallen almost 7 per cent in six months saw Telstra shares fall almost 4 per cent to $3.26 by 1:00pm (AEDT).
"Voice traffic is down across all categories. Now that's local, national long distance, international and fixed to mobile - all decreased. So that's straight calling volumes. So that's a real change in terms of behaviour going on in the market," he said.

We are one of the people who have deserted Telstra and are wealthier because of it. Our mobile set up is now $120 bucks on two mobiles and $30 on a wireless broadband.
We are still about $100-$150 dollars off a month!

I'm sure at some stage we will need a fixed line, but this will be more for broadband convenience.
I'm watching the the bundles::

Telstra for about $100
12Gig
Still pay for mobiles
STD still cost $1 a call

Optus for about $100
20Gig
only pay for non-Optus mobiles

Outcome:: Telstra still needs to get competitive...