Telecom knew of XT interference in November 2008
Even as Telecom works on installing filters for its new XT network, tempers continue to run high, with new allegations the telco should have approached Vodafone sooner.
Allies of Vodafone have released papers to NBR that claim Telecom’s network builder, Alcatel-Lucent, delivered the telco a report in November 2008 “making it clear that ‘spurious’ emissions would extend beyond Telecom’s frequencies into neighbouring spectrum licensed to NZ Communications and beyond that into Vodafone’s frequencies”.
Vodafone has maintained that Telecom should have warned it about interference before emissions interrupted its customers’ reception - including the mid-March instance of a Mangakino police officer who was unable to make calls on his Vodafone handset. After an XT transmitter was turned off - at Vodafone’s request - the officer was again able to make calls. When Telecom “accidentally” (in Vodafone’s words) turned the XT transmitter back on, the problem recurred.
In the High Court hearing, Vodafone’s counsel argued that Telecom treated the Mangakino case, and others, as isolated instances when it new from its correspondence with the MED and NZ Communications - now 2 Degrees - (which successfully appealed to communications and IT minister Steven Joyce to rally along the MED’s investigation into its own interference issues) that the XT problem was network wide.
In last week’s High Court hearing, Telecom responded to similar points by saying it had no way of knowing if Vodafone was experiencing interference on its network or not. In its view, the onus was on Vodafone to inform Telecom of any disruption.
After the case, Telecom chief executive Paul Reynolds told NBR that his company had installed more than 1000 filters already, and that range and geographical issues meant that interference problems should be addressed on a cell tower-by-cell tower basis.
Dr Reynolds said Telecom had always been willing to work with Vodafone to resolve the issue.
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Comments and questions14
if more proof was needed that Telecom's been lying all this time, this is it. How can Paul Reynolds stand up with a straight face and tell the world that he's been willing to work to solve this problem when clearly he and his team were not - even when they knew the problem was on their network?
XT fan club should hold there head in Shame!! and Shame on you Telecom NZ
Some things never change!!!!
Some things never change!!
from what I could gather Telecom never denied any interference issues??? I would guess that Telecom probably didnt know there were any real issues until another network operator told them?
This piece smells a lot like a beat up - where is any comment on Telecom or does the NBR not beleive in checking facts and seeking a right of reply? [Paul Reynolds' comments come from an NBR interview - CK]
Funny how all the TeleCON supporters decrying Vodafone as the villain in this nasty spat, are strangely silent.
Now that the true facts are being revealed about TeleCON"s usual deceptive tricks, they are once again exposed as to what they have always been, anti competitive, with the sole aim being, to destroy the opposition at whatever cost.
A Leopard never changes it's spots.
Why is there no verification of the facts? Where is both sides of the story? This is not only unbalanced its also completely speculative ... anyone could claim that they have seena document making all sorts of claims... without giving the other party (TEL in this case) right of reply, how can this story hope to have a shred of credibility?
We all know what this stands for with a quick google search
There's a reason that police are issued radios. It's because phones (fixed or mobile) don't handle emergencies well. They aren't engineered to handle situations where significant fractions of the population tries to make a call at the same time. If NZ police are making calls using cell phones, people _will_ die.
Unless of course, he was making a personal call - in which case it doesn't matter if he was an officer. It would have been more appropriate to say, "Bill in Mangakino tried to make a call and couldn't".
I understand that the police routinely use cell-phones - anyone can buy a police radio scanner (usually the crooks themselves) so cell phones are seen as more secure
Um, cell phone communications can be decrypted by anyone with US$2000 worth of hardware and 30s. If you've got the $$, you can buy a commercial product, complete with support for US$200k.
GSM's encryption hasn't been secure in well over a decade - it was cracked in 1998.
GSM encryption was cracked back in 1998, it can be decrypted very cheaply.
Telecom’s compliance with the terms of its licences was recently confirmed by the Ministry for Economic Development, as part of its investigation into interference issues between the WCDMA technology used by Telecom, and the GSM technology used by Vodafone and NZ Communications.
Following a series of test measurements and analysis…Telecom’s WCDMA transmitters meet the emission limits specified on spectrum licences issued pursuant to Telecom’s management rights. (From MED letter, 9 April)
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It should also be noted that if these issues were ongoing for so long, why is it that Voda only bought it to light when Telecom announced it was bringing its network launch date forward?
Its quite obvious that Voda will do as much as it can to keep any other competition away from their waters.
I work in a retailers in the communications department, and see all of the promos before they come out. It seems rather convenient that as soon as Telecom are required to extend their XT release date, there are many promos from vodafone including alot of incentives from vodafones side.
To me Telecom were only complying with the terms given to them by MED, and its vodafones problem for not saying anything sooner. But dont get me wrong, i know for a fact that both sides are at fault.
Either way you look at this, there is no doubt vodafone are doing their very best to delay the competition. its what they do best.
Im looking forward to seeing the competition, after the price scam when they raised the price in the IOU. i have come to a realisation that vodafone is only there for your money.
now lets see who has the better prices...
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