March is Telekom's target month for the new 3G network. That means the new system will be switched on and available for public around mid March. Some news reported 10th March as target date. It will be around that period.
For readers information, Honiara installation is practically completed. This means all related hardware, software, radio links, antennaes, cabling, other related equipment accessories have been installed. Initial system tests have been carried out successfully with 3G phones. That means engineers have successfully connected voice and SMS calls using the new 3G network.
Work on provincial center installations are underway and other tests are being carried out.
Our local Engineers with the Huawei engineers have been working around the clock since Dec 2009 to make sure that the new 3G network is up and running come March 2010 and everything is on target.
Now what products will be on offer when we have the new 3G network?
First and foremost is to ensure you as a customer can make and receive voice and SMS calls witout the current difficult and frustrating experience you have on the current 'old' mobile system.
Our Telekom will ensure that you will 'feel the Breeze' go go iu numb with satisfaction with the new system. That when you dial a number and press send the call goes through. That when you are connected your call does not get cut without warning. That you hear whoever you are calling etc etc.
Next the goodies with a 3G network will come...Internet/email on mobile, picture messaging, etc. These offerings will be availalbe in phases.
I can say this and that, promise you this and that but at the end of the day, you as a customer will be the judge, jury and executioner. Iu nao answer! What i can only inform you is that work is on target.
You may ask, what is the inside feeling in the company. wat nao tingting blong olketa telekom staff long disfala niu sysem?
The general feeling is that iumi everiwan frustrated nomoa. From olketa maedo boss lo hia go kastom olketa ordinary staff. Mifala laek for new system ia hem on tomorrow nomoa. Bata hem no waka olsem anda mifala understandim. Wat mifala everiwan lo Telekom (well olketa wea mi save lo hem anda stori wetem) is that mifala everiwan barava wan mind nao fo mek sua dat new 3G network ia hem barava delivam nao what hem capable of doing. Mifala barava one het nao that taem new 3G hem onair bae mifala barava changim nao full customer experience blong you anda me..iufala public must save too that mifala waka long Telekom bata customer too ia...mekem worse moa mifala customer plus mifala waka lo Telekom too. Mifala wait patiently for taem new system hem on anda bae iumi celebrate lo good service. Hem nomoa.
Our Telekom's primary goal regarding this new 3G network is to have that world class capability to enable us to deliver a whole new calling experience for our customers. We will go beyond that and provide you with totally new calling lifestyle; we aim to usher in a rebirth in your communication and social experience. We aim to craft a new stylish, efficient and confident YOU! We want you to 'feel the Breeze'..dang we want you to be the BREEZE!, and we will work hard to make that possible for YOU.
Only 3G handsets will work on the new 3G network....its going to be a pain but prices of 3G handsets are coming down anyway!!!!
However, for all other users still holding onto your 2G phone...you will not miss out because GPRS will also work and provide similar service for you....The new 3G network will also provide backward compatibility to allow for this...
A smartphone like the Blackberry will not work (I am told need to verify)!.....
Not knowing the specifications of what they are installing, I am confused... is it just 3G or are they putting in GPRS and 3G?
GPRS (2G) is only an extension for packet data, has nothing to do with voice calls, where as 3G is a whole new system on different frequencies (most 3G handsets are compatible with 2G networks, not the other way around).
Whilst this is great news for people who can afford to buy a new handset and it definately is the right thing to do in the longer term, I predict a lot of people with 2G handsets will be left stuck with the existing network woes until enough people move to 3G.
I hope that Telekom has looked at the fundamentals and put enough capacity in the network (think of it as the width of a road - no gud sapos Mendana avenue garem perfect surface bat nating wide fitim bicycle nomoa).. Most people would rather be able to make a phone call at 7pm on a Friday night than being able to surf the internet whilst walking around in Honiara. Smart phones should work as a voice phone but you probably won't get the additional features on it until the data network is interfaced to the internet.
I can see where they are coming from commercially, and they may solve the problem - but they certainly don't have the majority end users' interests (and needs) prioritised.
MInus - there is a new whole heap of switches put in place by Huawei. An entire replacement of existing switches and network. So 2G traffic will run on the new network as well as 3G traffic....so clear those doubts now.
GPRS for 2G users will allow them to have data transmission on the new Huawei installed network (I said the network will provide backward compatibility) while 3G capabilities are offered by default on the new network. There is enough capacity as it can carry a minimum of 1,000,000 subscribers as has been stressed time and time again on the media - that is more than population of the country or each person having 2 handsets each.....
On the note for a smartphone - there is just no business justification at the moment to offer the service (I am of the opinion that if it doesn't use its full potential don't buy it - just like an iPhone will work on the current network but what is an iPhone without the goodies - just an expensive phone)...perhaps the good thing is, the investment in 3G network prepares Our Telekom to offer these services as and when there is business sense to do it.
@ Minus - The new network is both 3G & enhanced 2G...the 2G part should be performing 2-10x better than the current 2G...u can go and test it out in Germany or any other countries that Huawei has already installed these systems... not necessarily a bigger/wider road but a more efficient system. Its like replacing a Microsoft windows platform with a Linux variant. Better performance on the same machine and less down time. Plus there's the benefit of having increased traffic channels. But there's the capability of packing in more power and features in the same space. Size does not matter all the time...
Hi guys, I think there's a bit of confusion to what I am getting at.
By capcity of the network I mean how many calls each base station can make to mobile stations at one particular time. Not the backbone of the network.
So what I am saying is that the system can be as efficient as it wants, but if only 8 people can make calls at a time, then we've just got an expensive network with limited access to it.
Time will tell, I am hoping that everything will work out well. I am just cynical because we have internet but no water. One of these brings in huge amounts of revenue and the other is not so profitable due to illegal connections, old infrastructure; one of these is also a necessity for life whilst the other is a luxury. Must stress that fundamentals are the important bits to worry about before the cream on the cake.
makes you wonder why people go to great lengths to complain about Telekom while they accept that they can go "sh*($**&$t" in the bush!....u hear me SIWA? - in towns & cities the place for 'pak pak na pu pu' hem toilet!!!!....there is still a bit of a village mentality in many of us...we want to be cool but we still have the mentality of a villager!...the fundamentals Telekom is trying to fix is get the right infrastructure (backbone if you like) in place....the problem of limited call channels (even on the fixed line) has been there all along, the trick is to ensure that there is just enough so that you do not waste it too...over time Telekom will get it right.....
Grafix, you say that Telekom will get it right over time. But how much time? They introduced Internet - not enough bandwidth. They introduce mobiles - not enough bandwidth. When will they provide enough to make customers happy? Wait for how long? This is one of the most important pieces of infrastructure for the development of any economy. If this was an open market with lots of competition Telekom would have gone out the back door years ago!
Mr. Still Waiting, let me put on my Telekom hat and perhaps provide some sort of answer for you. I cannot speak for the rest of Telekom but I speak from personal experience and this is my opinion.
Telekom has operated in a monopolistic environment for so long and until this year, it has been able to do as it damm well pleased. From 2010 onwards, the landscape has drastically changed, duopoly like some would have it. You are right in alluding to the very fact that it will not survive if it does not change quickly - and believe me, there are those of us who are relatively new but also bring in new ways of doing things within the company. Put that together with impending competition and you have the perfect ingredient for this beast to get its act together....so the company is also growing and responding to its challenges....its difficult but it is working and accelerated. We are well aware of the fact that if we cannot respond like we should, we will die our natural death as a telco - happens everywhere in the world...we just have to wait and see what happens don't we? So how much longer do we have to wait?....folks, it has not even been one year but we are already complaining like we have been waiting for ever. Blame the government for dragging its feet on competition and for listening to Telekom for all these years........if things work out as planned we do not have to wait much longer don't we? bemobile is here...competition is here now....Telekom is responding now!
The harsh reality ifor Telekom is it will have to invest in a state of the art technology for GSM and it is doing it now...(lets pray to God it works). It has bought more bandwidth and it is in operation as we speak. Unfortunately, the prices may not come down as you would expect but the pipe is bigger nonetheless....but here is the misconception people do not understand about the internet....where are most of the content providers? Oh yes, thats right in the US, Australia, Europe & Asia....so on top of your fast dinkum cable internet, the content is virtually at your doorstep...here in the Solomon Islands, unfortunately, that content hops on the satellite then it goes through some rusty copper wire to get to your home or office...oh please check that copper wire, no gud hem rust...ma internet langi nao ya! e mao...senga!...thats after sharing the big pipe with all the garbage like spam, torrents and phising that goes on every second on the Internet....so if you want to watch youtube without the slightest hint of delay, tell youtube to place a server right here in Honiara...that ought to speed things up for you...until then, sorry hola - there is absolutely no business case for content providers to do that....that is why I am the strongest advocate of providing local content....this website is a testament of that dream....but a lot more people must share that same dream ya man? so while I understand the frustration of customers - our circumstances will do little to improve the situation....truth is buy a bigger pipe and you still get a bigger slice of the garbage....now once a new ISP comes to town and brings a submarine cable - because latency etc should be negligible, then we are talking speed that many would love to have...until that time, we wait patiently and make do with what we have....it wasn't long ago that we were blowing conch shells and beating drums to pass message ya man?
the company must think ahead too so next phase of development is improvement in its landline services..then of course, the internet has been talked about as the next major step for improvement.....so Telekom is not waiting, it is moving ahead to quickly respond to the challenge of doing business in a totally new environment....thanks god, we removed the monopoly....so folks, we have dealt with our reality, it is time the customer also does likewise and deal with reality too - that at this present time, we just cannot be exactly the same as our more developed neighbours and the world - until some circumstances change...the coming of competition is one such change in circumstance and it is already bearing results....be patient, in time those circumstances will become right!
Finally, it is true - the customer is king....and it is also true, the customer is never satisfied. There can never be enough for everyone...someone is always bound to be unsatisfied about his or her slice of the cake.
March is Telekom's target month for the new 3G network. That means the new system will be switched on and available for public around mid March. Some news reported 10th March as target date. It will be around that period.
For readers information, Honiara installation is practically completed. This means all related hardware, software, radio links, antennaes, cabling, other related equipment accessories have been installed. Initial system tests have been carried out successfully with 3G phones. That means engineers have successfully connected voice and SMS calls using the new 3G network.
Work on provincial center installations are underway and other tests are being carried out.
Our local Engineers with the Huawei engineers have been working around the clock since Dec 2009 to make sure that the new 3G network is up and running come March 2010 and everything is on target.
Now what products will be on offer when we have the new 3G network?
First and foremost is to ensure you as a customer can make and receive voice and SMS calls witout the current difficult and frustrating experience you have on the current 'old' mobile system.
Our Telekom will ensure that you will 'feel the Breeze' go go iu numb with satisfaction with the new system. That when you dial a number and press send the call goes through. That when you are connected your call does not get cut without warning. That you hear whoever you are calling etc etc.
Next the goodies with a 3G network will come...Internet/email on mobile, picture messaging, etc. These offerings will be availalbe in phases.
I can say this and that, promise you this and that but at the end of the day, you as a customer will be the judge, jury and executioner. Iu nao answer! What i can only inform you is that work is on target.
You may ask, what is the inside feeling in the company. wat nao tingting blong olketa telekom staff long disfala niu sysem?
The general feeling is that iumi everiwan frustrated nomoa. From olketa maedo boss lo hia go kastom olketa ordinary staff. Mifala laek for new system ia hem on tomorrow nomoa. Bata hem no waka olsem anda mifala understandim. Wat mifala everiwan lo Telekom (well olketa wea mi save lo hem anda stori wetem) is that mifala everiwan barava wan mind nao fo mek sua dat new 3G network ia hem barava delivam nao what hem capable of doing. Mifala barava one het nao that taem new 3G hem onair bae mifala barava changim nao full customer experience blong you anda me..iufala public must save too that mifala waka long Telekom bata customer too ia...mekem worse moa mifala customer plus mifala waka lo Telekom too. Mifala wait patiently for taem new system hem on anda bae iumi celebrate lo good service. Hem nomoa.
Our Telekom's primary goal regarding this new 3G network is to have that world class capability to enable us to deliver a whole new calling experience for our customers. We will go beyond that and provide you with totally new calling lifestyle; we aim to usher in a rebirth in your communication and social experience. We aim to craft a new stylish, efficient and confident YOU! We want you to 'feel the Breeze'..dang we want you to be the BREEZE!, and we will work hard to make that possible for YOU.
March will tell.
Questions blo mi,
How many 3G phones are there which will be able to use the network?
Do we have to buy a new SIM card to use the network?
Only 3G handsets will work on the new 3G network....its going to be a pain but prices of 3G handsets are coming down anyway!!!!
However, for all other users still holding onto your 2G phone...you will not miss out because GPRS will also work and provide similar service for you....The new 3G network will also provide backward compatibility to allow for this...
A smartphone like the Blackberry will not work (I am told need to verify)!.....
Not knowing the specifications of what they are installing, I am confused... is it just 3G or are they putting in GPRS and 3G?
GPRS (2G) is only an extension for packet data, has nothing to do with voice calls, where as 3G is a whole new system on different frequencies (most 3G handsets are compatible with 2G networks, not the other way around).
Whilst this is great news for people who can afford to buy a new handset and it definately is the right thing to do in the longer term, I predict a lot of people with 2G handsets will be left stuck with the existing network woes until enough people move to 3G.
I hope that Telekom has looked at the fundamentals and put enough capacity in the network (think of it as the width of a road - no gud sapos Mendana avenue garem perfect surface bat nating wide fitim bicycle nomoa).. Most people would rather be able to make a phone call at 7pm on a Friday night than being able to surf the internet whilst walking around in Honiara. Smart phones should work as a voice phone but you probably won't get the additional features on it until the data network is interfaced to the internet.
I can see where they are coming from commercially, and they may solve the problem - but they certainly don't have the majority end users' interests (and needs) prioritised.
MInus - there is a new whole heap of switches put in place by Huawei. An entire replacement of existing switches and network. So 2G traffic will run on the new network as well as 3G traffic....so clear those doubts now.
GPRS for 2G users will allow them to have data transmission on the new Huawei installed network (I said the network will provide backward compatibility) while 3G capabilities are offered by default on the new network. There is enough capacity as it can carry a minimum of 1,000,000 subscribers as has been stressed time and time again on the media - that is more than population of the country or each person having 2 handsets each.....
On the note for a smartphone - there is just no business justification at the moment to offer the service (I am of the opinion that if it doesn't use its full potential don't buy it - just like an iPhone will work on the current network but what is an iPhone without the goodies - just an expensive phone)...perhaps the good thing is, the investment in 3G network prepares Our Telekom to offer these services as and when there is business sense to do it.
@ Minus - The new network is both 3G & enhanced 2G...the 2G part should be performing 2-10x better than the current 2G...u can go and test it out in Germany or any other countries that Huawei has already installed these systems... not necessarily a bigger/wider road but a more efficient system. Its like replacing a Microsoft windows platform with a Linux variant. Better performance on the same machine and less down time. Plus there's the benefit of having increased traffic channels. But there's the capability of packing in more power and features in the same space. Size does not matter all the time...
Hi guys, I think there's a bit of confusion to what I am getting at.
By capcity of the network I mean how many calls each base station can make to mobile stations at one particular time. Not the backbone of the network.
So what I am saying is that the system can be as efficient as it wants, but if only 8 people can make calls at a time, then we've just got an expensive network with limited access to it.
Time will tell, I am hoping that everything will work out well. I am just cynical because we have internet but no water. One of these brings in huge amounts of revenue and the other is not so profitable due to illegal connections, old infrastructure; one of these is also a necessity for life whilst the other is a luxury. Must stress that fundamentals are the important bits to worry about before the cream on the cake.
makes you wonder why people go to great lengths to complain about Telekom while they accept that they can go "sh*($**&$t" in the bush!....u hear me SIWA? - in towns & cities the place for 'pak pak na pu pu' hem toilet!!!!....there is still a bit of a village mentality in many of us...we want to be cool but we still have the mentality of a villager!...the fundamentals Telekom is trying to fix is get the right infrastructure (backbone if you like) in place....the problem of limited call channels (even on the fixed line) has been there all along, the trick is to ensure that there is just enough so that you do not waste it too...over time Telekom will get it right.....
"Simplicity is an art"
Grafix, you say that Telekom will get it right over time. But how much time? They introduced Internet - not enough bandwidth. They introduce mobiles - not enough bandwidth. When will they provide enough to make customers happy? Wait for how long? This is one of the most important pieces of infrastructure for the development of any economy. If this was an open market with lots of competition Telekom would have gone out the back door years ago!
Mr. Still Waiting, let me put on my Telekom hat and perhaps provide some sort of answer for you. I cannot speak for the rest of Telekom but I speak from personal experience and this is my opinion.
Telekom has operated in a monopolistic environment for so long and until this year, it has been able to do as it damm well pleased. From 2010 onwards, the landscape has drastically changed, duopoly like some would have it. You are right in alluding to the very fact that it will not survive if it does not change quickly - and believe me, there are those of us who are relatively new but also bring in new ways of doing things within the company. Put that together with impending competition and you have the perfect ingredient for this beast to get its act together....so the company is also growing and responding to its challenges....its difficult but it is working and accelerated. We are well aware of the fact that if we cannot respond like we should, we will die our natural death as a telco - happens everywhere in the world...we just have to wait and see what happens don't we? So how much longer do we have to wait?....folks, it has not even been one year but we are already complaining like we have been waiting for ever. Blame the government for dragging its feet on competition and for listening to Telekom for all these years........if things work out as planned we do not have to wait much longer don't we? bemobile is here...competition is here now....Telekom is responding now!
The harsh reality ifor Telekom is it will have to invest in a state of the art technology for GSM and it is doing it now...(lets pray to God it works). It has bought more bandwidth and it is in operation as we speak. Unfortunately, the prices may not come down as you would expect but the pipe is bigger nonetheless....but here is the misconception people do not understand about the internet....where are most of the content providers? Oh yes, thats right in the US, Australia, Europe & Asia....so on top of your fast dinkum cable internet, the content is virtually at your doorstep...here in the Solomon Islands, unfortunately, that content hops on the satellite then it goes through some rusty copper wire to get to your home or office...oh please check that copper wire, no gud hem rust...ma internet langi nao ya! e mao...senga!...thats after sharing the big pipe with all the garbage like spam, torrents and phising that goes on every second on the Internet....so if you want to watch youtube without the slightest hint of delay, tell youtube to place a server right here in Honiara...that ought to speed things up for you...until then, sorry hola - there is absolutely no business case for content providers to do that....that is why I am the strongest advocate of providing local content....this website is a testament of that dream....but a lot more people must share that same dream ya man? so while I understand the frustration of customers - our circumstances will do little to improve the situation....truth is buy a bigger pipe and you still get a bigger slice of the garbage....now once a new ISP comes to town and brings a submarine cable - because latency etc should be negligible, then we are talking speed that many would love to have...until that time, we wait patiently and make do with what we have....it wasn't long ago that we were blowing conch shells and beating drums to pass message ya man?
the company must think ahead too so next phase of development is improvement in its landline services..then of course, the internet has been talked about as the next major step for improvement.....so Telekom is not waiting, it is moving ahead to quickly respond to the challenge of doing business in a totally new environment....thanks god, we removed the monopoly....so folks, we have dealt with our reality, it is time the customer also does likewise and deal with reality too - that at this present time, we just cannot be exactly the same as our more developed neighbours and the world - until some circumstances change...the coming of competition is one such change in circumstance and it is already bearing results....be patient, in time those circumstances will become right!
Finally, it is true - the customer is king....and it is also true, the customer is never satisfied. There can never be enough for everyone...someone is always bound to be unsatisfied about his or her slice of the cake.
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