raccoon

Thanks, that was a good revision... What you said about batt drain on high (CDMA) network load is true... but not about high GSM call drops due to network load!! CDMA has an edge in the call drop dept. only because of its soft handoffs. And Steve is also echoing, in the end, what I'v always been saying repeatedly: GSM or CDMA is not that important - its the Service Provider that makes the difference. There are a lot of people on this forum who hype CDMA as the superiour choice and stuff... perhaps because most are RIM users here... but in real life it just isn't necessarily so!! Its just your specific experience with your specific service provider that is speaking...

Are you sure about that??? I dont think GSM drops calls like that as a channel is reserved as long as you are on the call! In fact CDMA drops calls (and voice quality will deteriorate) with increasing load in a particular cell. GSM will likely drop calls while doing a hard handover... Not sure if I remember that absolutely accurately. Guess I should dig out my books... In my actual experience, in spite of RIM's soft handover, once in a while calls do drop while on the move. On the other hand, with Idea, in spite of being GSM and being the largest operator (hence possibility of more network load) here in Mah circle, calls drops are equally rare. So apparently there are a lot of other factors when you compare things in real life situations... Airtel on the other end drops calls at whim... hardly matters whether you are chaging cells or stand still next to a tower or whatever... lol!

Well, that isnt valid for all operators/plans... for eg. Airtel Friendz plan and Idea I-card Active dont allow you to recharge with lifetime voucher. If you do, your plan will change, and you are migrated to the lifetime tariff plan. At least thats what the CC of these operators say. In any case Idea offered me 1 yr validity for Rs. 199 with Rs. 90 TT... so validity is now quite cheap. No such luck with Airtel... unless they offer me something similar I'll probably junk my current SIM and get another one which usually comes with more TT than its cost + 1 yr validity...

This does not necessarily indicate that its harmful to humans any more or less than CDMA!

Yes, am not disputing that! What I ment that it declined further right after ADA took over!!

I'm not sure what you disagreed on in my last post however... I'd just described my personal experiences with the 3 telcos...

But these full talk time top-ups dont have any validity!?!? You have to buy this validity seperately, if you are using top-up vouchers, so the cost of that has to be added... so in a way you are paying a rental in pre-paid too! The magnitude can of course differ. Also, you have to consider the Service Tax component for post-paid. So even if you have a tariff plan where you pay Re. 1/min in post-paid, you will actually end up paying about Rs. 1.13 or so... whereas in pre-paid, the ST component is borne by the operator, if you go in for full TT top-up.

Technically you are right... but in my experience (& I'm sure others here would have a similar experience), GSM phones always seem to have a longer stand by time also! My RIM ph (RD 2030) also used to conk out in max 2 - 3 days (most CDMA handsets wont even last that much) even if it was hardly used... where as all the GSM phones I'v used seem to happily go on over a week! Also, if CDMA emits more radiation while talking, then it would be more harmful, because at that time the user will be closest to the phone... in fact right next to his brain! While it is in standby, you can most of the time keep the phone away from your body... like I do. So it seems GSM scores in the radiation dept. too! Dude, all phones work in the radio spectrum! There have been reports of technologies that work in other electromagnetic spectrums... like in the light region... but to my knowledge, no such phones are currently available for normal use.

If only our Telcos could just maintain their websites with the latest info... and a step beyond that would be the addition of a functionality of letting customers change their plans, etc, most of us would hardly ever need to call the customer care. In turn they can hire fewer but better quality of CC executives. This could further reduce the cost of servicing the huge subscriber base that the telcos have. Banks for eg. are doing it... esp. the pvt. ones. We are reaching a point where they dont want you in their branches at all.. if fact they are penalising customers for carrying out transactions at the branch by leving much higher service charges. And its good too... why should one waste his life having to go to a bank when the tech to carry out most transactions ...even opening Fixed Deposits, etc., is available thru the net or ATM? We can only wonder when the telcos will understand... for eg. a RCom executive's favourite reply for any issue is the advice to visit the nearest Web World. Really pathetic state of affairs...

Idea rox! The chart for Mah on their site says Rs. 83 TT for Rs. 100 top up. But why go in for this when you have full TT options??? I just got a full TT top up done for Rs. 234.

I have come across literature that says CDMA emits lower radiation than GSM. I really dont know how authentic that claim is though. For all we know, it might just be false propaganda from the CDMA camp. After I got rid of my RIM and bought my 2 GSM handsets, I did compare the SAR levels of my RIM ph with the ones specified for my GSM handsets. As far as I recall, there wasnt any significant difference at all!!! I'm however not sure if SAR is the only parameter to measure the radiation health hazard on. There might be other factors which we arent aware of. As for the Classics, its VERY likely they dont meet the max. SAR requirements. Does anyone here have a Classic handset with the manual, etc? Do they even specify the SAR rating? Even if they do, we dont know if its authentic...

It is true that most of the CC executives are certified morons... but I noticed a further decline after ADA took over. While CC of most telcos are almost useless, its the "higher" channels that make the difference. In MDAs time the Chairman's Office was where I placed all my problems. And their response was very good! Often they used to reply and/or call back the same day! Once they sent their engineers the very next day to my place, just to check the netork (there was some problem with their network in my area that time). I even recieved 2 calls for next two days asking me if the problem was solved and whether I was satisfied. After ADA took over, I started getting just typical CC type super lame replies... and zero action. Compared to that, I have recieved similar response from Idea's Appellete authority... and to a lesser extent from their Nodal officer. Few months back, they even sent a BIG flower bouquet to my residence with a card!! Their CC however, leaves a lot to be desired... with the added problem that their lines are busy 95% of the times. As for Airtel, its the worst. The CC is the ONLY place that you can access. So while it connects without repeated attempts, its pretty much useless. I dont think Airtel even has a Nodal officer... leave alone an Appellete Authority in place. At least thats how it is in Poona (Mah & Goa).

I was actually talkig about the experience with Reliance as a whole... not just the CC. It was my experience that CC declined after ADA took over... and a lot of other things too ...even the responses from the "Chairman's Office". And thats why I bid them adieu.

4 - 5 years ago, RCom was with MDA! Things were in fact much better that time!!!

Well, if it exists, I havent followed that rule. In any case, they always sorted out my problems anyway... Besides, 1 month is way too long to wait when you are facing serious network problems!

Not absolutely sure... but hasn't TRAI prohibited operators for charging for such migrations???

I had a similar issue with Idea here in Poona... for a short time. But after complaining to their appeallete authority, they sorted the issue out in 3 days. Try writing to their Nodal office 1st... and then the Appellete authority.

Quite right... Nokia is another entity that will help in killing off CDMA ...along with RCom... Not just CDMA, even their GSM stuff is not at all what it used to be known for...

Not surprising... CDMA is so SMS unfriendly in every way... at least RCom is... dont know about others.

This needs to come to urban areas fast... BSNL landline rentals are now well over mobile rentals!

Fat chance!!! Hes too busy counting the moolah he loots from you guys... And do you really think RCom would be such a mess if he is really taking the intrest to go thru this forum???

This is REALLY good if implimented! Why should pre-paid subscribers have to pay charges above the rental/fixed charge they are already paying??? In fact its almost like a discouragement to top-up...

Perfect... in other words RCom is requesting their customers to junk CDMA and go GSM...

One accident??? I think not... after suffering Airtel's network, I'm inclined to think Airtel itself is one big accident...

Yups... its pretty much 1.3 bucks here in Mah & Goa too... thank gawd!!!