Re: Optus makes customers pay to fix its blackspots [telecom]

In article <pan.2011.04.11.06.07.35.149125@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>,
David Clayton <dcstar@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

Nice trick, if you can get away with it....

http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/mobiles/optus-makes-customers-pay-to-fix
-its-blackspots-20110411-1da6b.html

A new Optus product launched today has been panned by analysts who claim
it is a ploy by the telco to force customers to pay for mobile network
upgrades that the telco should be making itself.

Australia's second largest telco launched its 3G Home Zone product today,
designed primarily to boost indoor 3G wireless signals for Optus mobile
customers at home. There is an upfront cost of between $60 and $240 to
install the equipment or a monthly payment of $5 to $15.

The product is based on a new wireless technology called "Femtocell"

I purchased Verizon's femtocell gadget a year or two ago to obtain
decent cell reception in my home, which is in a small Verizon dead spot
behind a small hill, right on the Stanford University campus, in the
middle of Silicon Valley. Cost about $200, no monthly fee, and has
worked like a charm. I don't really mind paying the initial cost,
especially if it saves the rest of Verizon's customers from having to
pay for building and operating a much more expensive tower just to cover
a few of us in this little natural dead spot. After all, I've found I
also get remarkably good Verizon cellphone coverage as a safety and
convenience feature on hikes and ski tours into remote locations all
around the Lake Tahoe area. I would mind paying a continuing monthly
fee for the femtocell, however.

.

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