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World-class cellular network?
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Posted on Jul 21 2005
The following comment from Verizon general manager Tony Mosley along with recent hype about Verizon’s cellular expansion program for the CNMI left me laughing on the floor: “…part of an ongoing plan by the company to continue to bring the people of the CNMI a world class CDMA 1x cellular network.”
Now I don’t generally rag on anyone who genuinely tries to “upgrade” or otherwise enhance their services or their attempts to better the lifestyle of our local people. But, surely Mr. Mosley has got to be kidding us—or at least trying to.
CDMA 1x technology is an outdated, outmoded and non world-class system in use by less than 10 percent of the rest of the world. Now I realize that the CNMI is a rather remote location and has a small population base compared to markets such as the U.S. or Europe, but is that reason enough to foist off this CDMA system on the CNMI? Are they calling it “world-class” simply because they believe the people here won’t know any better?
So are we now to be stuck with this outmoded system and able to carry our so-called mobile phones solely within the CNMI and thusly enslaved and locked only to the minority Verizon system?
Let us hope that the new owners of Verizon will eventually get around to bringing us a true “world-class” system. The GPRS system in use by the vast majority of the rest of the world (more than 90 percent) will allow us to become truly “mobile.” My kids in Hawaii all have GPRS phones and they are truly “mobile” to most of the rest of the world. The systems are huge, thus allowing for cheaper rates, promotions for thousands of “free” minutes, a wide range of travel using the same phone and really cool handsets with features we in the CNMI will never see under the current Verizon system.
Or perhaps other cellular providers will install such GPRS systems here in the CNMI so that we can truly compare and, for those of us who do travel, remain “connected.”
Dr. Thomas D. Arkle Jr.
San Jose, Tinian
