By Keri Algar
SYDNEY, NSW: In a friendly sounding blog Vodafone has detailed the upgrade of hundreds of new network sites in an attempt to appease the vitriol that continues to be flung at the telco by consumers as the class action lawsuit against the telco develops.
“Hi Everyone,” said the blog posted by Michael Young, Vodafone chief technology officer. “I just wanted to keep you updated on what we have been doing and what’s planned in the next few weeks to improve the network….we have fast tracked our network plans, and while much is planned and still to be done, we’ve completed a large number of upgrades and begun building our new 3G network.”
According to Young, at least 41 site upgrades have been completed in February to improve network performance with a further 64 upgrades to be completed in March. An additional 10 new sites on the new and existing 3G network have gone live for extra coverage and capacity.
Young also predicted that 141 more new sites would go live by the end of this month, 123 of which are on the new 3G network and that 330 more sites are “lined up” for the end of July.
However, the corporate law firm in charge of the class action lawsuit against Vodafone, Piper Alderman, has told Current.com.au that it is still receiving "a lot of calls every day" and collecting dozens of online surveys of complaint from consumers considering joining the class action case against the telco.
Meanwhile, while many customers have switched telcos some savvy consumers are sticking with Vodafone and demanding better deals, lest they drop out themselves. One deal recently secured by a Vodafone consumer was the purchase of the iPhone 4 for $10 per month, normally this plan is $45 per month for the 16 GB iPhone 4 over 24 months.
Related Stories
Vodafone CEO blames own customers for network problems