Optus vs Telstra in the Outback?

Racey,

Two weeks ago, Telstra 4G small cell available atMarree, William Creek & Oodnadatta.

Regards

TrevorDavid

Trevor,

I passed through Oodnadatta twice recently. My phone showed no service both times.

I have a Telstra SIM and plan. So I inquired in the roadhouse if the service was down at the moment. They said no, it simply doesn't work with some phones.

I later contacted Telstra customer service to get an explanation. I got a vague non-answer which didn't explain why my particular phone--or other people's phones--don't get service there.

Telstra's small cell service uses Voice Over LTE technology - VoLTE. LTE is a technology used to provide fast mobile data. VoLTE is an enhancement that enables voice on that technology. Older handsets may not have the required VoLTE hardware. Other handsets with the required hardware may have firmware that does not support VoLTE.

The firmware in every smartphone handset is country and, if bought from a telco, may also be telco specific. Assuming the handset has the required hardware, if the firmware doesn't support VoLTE then the phone won't be able to make and take voice calls over LTE, though data may still work.

That is my situation. I'm with Telstra and have a handset I bought on line. The hardware supports VoLTE but when I try to turn it on via the menu system I get a message that VoLTE is not supported by the current software. I can't make or take voice calls in Telstra small cell areas, though I have data and can use the internet, etc. A little investigation revealed that my phone has Vietnamese firmware which does not support VoLTE.

A work-around would be to use something like Facebook Messenger or Skype or Apple Facetime etc, which use data (internet), not the voice network.

A more permanent fix is to update the firmware to a version known to support VoLTE but with a handset bought outside normal channels like mine you're unlikely to get help from your telco or phone manufacturer. You can DIY but it is a tricky business and if it goes wrong your phone may irrevocably be turned into a brick.

Candace, if you brought your handset with you from OS and put a Telstra SIM in it for your Aussie travels, then the above is the likely explanation for Telstra small cells not working for you.

Cheers

In addition to what Frank said:

Apart from the potential for firmware not supporting Voice over "Long Term Evolution" the other possibility is that these Telstra small cells are 4G only. That means that a 3G-only phone will see "no service" rather than "SOS only".

When i recently travelled through small cell telstra areas i recieved a text from telstra advising i was in a small cell area and a list of phone models that work in these areas.

Unfortunately my samsung galaxy s5 is NOT on the list..i am with boost.

You can still make emergency calls on another provider.

Updating your facebook status with a few pictures is not a safety matter

Correct Equinox,

AND if you have a 4G phone with 4G you can make or receive standard telephone calls through any wifi hotspot if you turn that option on in the phone.

But the reality is that if you really do have legitimate safety concerns in remote locations then a Phone may not be much use. Regardless of the provider(s).

Get a PLB or Sat phone.

Indeed. Our main provider is Optus. We also have a cheap $49 non smart phone with Telstra with a 12 month prepaid sim - can't recall the cost, something like $50.
Having said that, it is surprising the number of country towns that have no Telstra service but a good Optus signal
Cheers Andrew

So true.

When we go out there on our annual migration, we take FOUR cellphones.

Hers and mine are on Belong - a Telstra-owned MVNO with access to only the Telstra WHOLESALE network (*). That's what we use around the big smoke where it's fine, but ...

I have another number just parked. Right now it's with Amaysim, $15/year with 100 minutes included. That covers the Optus network on those trips.

Like most people, we have a drawer with spare cellphones. One of those gets a temporary pre-paid SIM on a Telstra Retail deal, which averages about $1/day for unlimited calls and bulk data (so we can hot-spot ...).

So we have Telstra Wholesale and Optus covered, plus Telstra Retail short-term.

And to fill in the gaps (which are many and large), an Iridium on the $10/mo plan for emergencies.

(*) Before we travel, I identify all overnights and whether there is Telstra Retail, Telstra Wholesale ("TW"), and/or Optus available - and take a printed list with us. TW embraces ALL their resellers except Boost.Check the coverage maps for say Belong/Aldi etc vs Telstra Retail and you'll see stark regional differences.

The decision Telstra took waaaay back was that TW service would be available in towns where Optus existed (so Telstra's resellers could give Optus local competition). If Optus wasn't in a town, you needed Telstra Retail for coverage there. That decision seems to have been etched in stone. And Telstra's reputation for price gouging for that privelege was well earned. What they haven't done though is keep track of Optus' expansion in regional areas, so while there generally will be Telstra Retail coverage in towns with an Optus presence they haven't altered their TW footprint.

As an aside, ALL Optus resellers get access to the FULL Optus network. Shame on Telstra for the games they play.

NO, I am NOT an Optus shareholder.
YES, I AM a Telstra shareholder.

I don’t know all the government regulation of the telco services.
But the not sharing is designed to ensure the companies keep putting in services , people may or may not agree if this works or not .
The USA was the same in 2017 , we had one server reputed to have probably the widest coverage generally, but some spots the other carriers covered.
So we’re not alone in Australia.

Totally agree
We love the not knowing what may be going on back in civilisation is so peaceful!!
Although we carry a sat phone just in case.

Allan, it's not much different to the shambles created by having 2 different operating systems for personal computers - and further back than that - 4 different rail gauges within Australia!

As Mark Twain noted, when faced with being hauled out bed in the wee small hours, to change trains - ''Think of the paralysis of intellect, that gave that idea birth!''

There's plenty of other examples of total incompatibility that costs us all dearly - operating voltages, electrical plugs, weights and measures, fasteners and threads, fuels and power systems, lack of common standards and basic parts between manufacturers.

It's all designed to secure a "niche" or "captive" market for the businesses involved.

One of the worst examples I have had to contend with in my working life, is the insistence of Caterpillar Inc., that they have their own manufacturing standards, and do not necessarily utilise SAE standards.

As a result, if you have a Caterpillar bearing, it is most often, not a standard bearing.
It will have minor deviations from SAE standard design bearing specifications, that means you have to go to Cat, and Cat only, to acquire that bearing.

The same goes for their drive shafts. We have SAE standards for driveshafts, whereby a nominated size shaft has, say, 14 splines - but the equivalent Cat driveshaft will have 13 splines.
Pure bastardry, and a system that is designed to benefit Caterpillar, and no-one else.

Cheers, Ron.

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As you say Ron......... Bastardry!!!!

There's more that 2 different operating systems. Most of the internet runs on Linux.

What about VHS and Beta video tapes? That was a good one. :-)

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Yes, and being the better technology, I chose Beta.... Duhh.

Allan, I suppose you bought an 8-track cartridge stereo when they came out, too? LOL

I guess we should be thankful we didn't end up with 5 or 6 different types of mobiles phones that were all incompatible.
At least someone had the sense to keep SIMS reasonably interchangeable, but I don't know how long that will last.

Michael - I thought 95% of ATM's still operated on Windows XP?
I know of no equipment that uses MacOS, apart from Apple products.

Cheers, Ron.

And what about all the different size tyres.! At least there's only one colour. (color)
Dave.

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news David, but they are available in a whole range of gaudy colours. Yeah, I know they aren't "tyres", but just google "colored tires".