Yes, it has made things easier. Who &, when you contact are better addressed. Especially sms - invaluable for scheduling events.

It has been a thorough invasion of my privacy. At work and away from work, people expect me to be contactable all the time. People expect me to answer the phone as soon as it rings and reply to SMSs as soon as I receive them. I can also enter the lives of strangers on the train who carry on their phone conversations with complete disregard of the captive audience forced to listed to their inane conversations. The mobile phone has not changed the way I manage my work and home life. I carry one for use in emergencies and only respond to it when it suits me.

Can't do anything without it!, calls..SMS..MMS..Instant access to b/pond email..Send/recieve emails on it!..Send doco's to my computer!..Essential item!..If i go out and forget it...I have withdrawal symptoms!

As a person with a disability working from a wheelchair, the mobile phone as transported me into a world of security, and allows me to work in many differing environments, allowing me contact with attendant carers at any time. I am able to continue to provide community service where needed regardless of geographic situations.

Thanks for the opportunity to contribute. May I suggest to the seemingly significant portion of people who appear fearful at the thought of being detached from their mobile, to just get a grip on the reality of the situation.

Phones don't manage the enterprise, or parent kids or sign a sales contract or attend primary school assembly - a phone is a communications tool for wisely crafted and effective PLANNING. Used effectively it can connect us or screen out clients and family; Used effectively it can allow us to be in two places at once; and Used effectively it empowers each of us with a global reach and influence.

The issues presented in this forum are real for us all and are to be respected; however don't blame the mobile if you can't effectively deal with having a fun day on your own.

Haven't seen a rich phone or a poor phone or a happy phone or a jailed phone - just lots and lots of people who use these tools in a daily life that is kept focussed on the important stuff - enjoying the moment.

Please don't focus on negative patterns of use, develop winning strategies and get back on track. Next we will be obsessing about the health implications of working under light from low energy bulbs or over exposure to cafe' machines. Regards and Good hunting.

Next G is great but living in rural Northern Tasmania I find that the reception is markedly inferior to both GSM and CDMA. Come on TELSTRA it is supposed to be better than the others.

Comments published prior to 15 August 2007 addressed the discussion topic:

The mobile phone service is spiralling downwards. I was enticed into the NextG network on the pretext that the CDMA network was being phased out. That was in January. Since then not one of my complaints about a ZTE850 phone has been resolved. I have been passed from one entity to another without one person putting their hands up to say I will help this guy. The phone is rubbish and I can't even talk to somebody sensible about it. It turns on when it feels like it, goes into searching mode thru areas of no coverage and refuses to acknowledge a signal when available. Telstra's advice to me is turn it off and then back on again. Great technology Telstra. Just give me a phone that works. A month ago I was advised it could be a problem with the phone or the network. Since then deathly silence

Having reently upgraded to the NextG network from CDMA my husband and I are extremely disappointed with the coverage. We have been Telstra mobile customers for many, many years. (Our first phone was a somewhat cumbersome analogue "bag phone"). With that we could make and receive calls almost anywhere we found ourselves. Next came CDMA which did not have the coverage of the old analogue but which was satisfactory. However, we now find that with the new NextG it is almost useless for our purposes. We own a farm 18.5 km out of Colac on the main Apollo Bay road. We only need to go less than 5km out of Colac to have no reception at all. The phone is necessary as there is no longer a landline in the old (unoccupied) farmhouse so we need it to call in a vet for any of our animals, stock agents and just for general security. My husband has rung and complained but found himself speaking to people who did not even have a good command of the English language let alone the geography of Victoria. We know where a tower should be placed to give adequate cover to these problem areas and would be quite happy to consult with distribution engineers to further our cause. (Incidentally a neighbour of ours here in Colac who also has a farm out in our area is just as disappointed with his new NexrG phone as we are.)

If all agreed conditions are met Telstra should be allowed to run its own business without any more interference from Government or regulators. To ensure there is no comeback and for the good of their name, all complaints need to be sorted out once and for all, otherwise they will end up losing market share to the favoured Optus.