So Telecom is launching their new network ahead of their announced date of "sometime in June", which I was dubious about anyway. This means my birthday will be after the launch now, making it a good time to buy a new phone to replace my current Nokia 6275i, which is a good phone but I'd like something newer, faster and more ergonomic for txting. Walking home I thought back on all the phones I've owned and what I liked or disliked about them, why I switched networks and changed number and what will make me buy another handset.
Starting off with my Alcatel One Touch Easy on Vodafone. This was back in the day when txting was brand new, you couldn't txt people on a different network, it cost to send and receive txts and I didn't care. Just to own a phone was a huge deal and I still remember being so frustrated having to wait for the initial battery charge to play with it. I had an 021 number that I can't for the life of me remember. Over time I realised that having only 2 lines was a huge limitation and that I wanted something that had a menu that was usable. I had played with other Nokias and wanted my own, but couldn't afford it.
Enter Pulsate, which was what Boost Mobile used to be branded as. They had a deal: you and 4 of your friends bring in your working Vodafone phones and you'll get a brand new Nokia 5120i on the Telecom network. This was a tricky decision at the time because it meant leaving all the people I could txt on Vodafone behind, but a few of us switched so it was worth it. I still have that phone which had an 025 number that I do still remember. It was a great handset with one design flaw: the battery would work itself loose over time, so lots of us ended up taping it in place. Aside from that there was nothing wrong with it except the bulk and I was a happy camper.
Then I got a call from Telecom, the new 027 network was starting up and they needed people to test the pilot. They picked 1000 people at random and in exchange for a new phone and unlimited calls, txts and WAP during the trial period I had to fill in 2 online questionnaires a week - good deal, I thought. The handset I picked from the launch options was the Samsung SCH-N105 and I could only find one image of it online. It was small, but had one huge flaw and a number of large ones. The biggest was this: When you wanted to send a txt you had to manually type the number before sending the txt and you couldn't search your address book. This left you looking in your address book, memorising a 10 digit number then quickly going to txt and typing it in. If this seems stupid to you, you're right. I had enough and went looking for a good Telecom handset, only to find that there were none.
So I went back to Vodafone which opened up a huge collection of Nokia handsets, which I spent a long time researching. I ended up picking a Nokia 8250 and to this day I can't fault this phone. It txted, it called and it had a blue backlight. The butterfly menu key was really nice to use and it was small and light. I was sad to have the battery on the phone drop to unusable levels
It should be noted that up until this point all txts have cost me 20 cents each. This is a ridiculous price for such a small amount of data but the problem was everyone was charging that and it was only a matter of time before someone made a move. The first big move came from Vodafone, with free txt weekends, which clogged up the entire SMS part of the network all weekend.
I replaced my phone with another Nokia on Vodafone: a Nokia 6100. This Nokia is again nice and small, has a colour screen and is light, however the buttons were tough for txting on so whilst it's a good business phone I don't have a special memory of it.
Then I started txting people on both Telecom and Vodafone, which started getting expensive. I was given a Nokia 2280 by a friend and connected it with a new number. Now I have both an 027 and an 021 handset, which was very popular for a time. It was an unbreakable phone, and Telecom had two $10 txt deals, the one I had was $10 for 500 txts to both networks - nice and cheap compared to Vodafone. The 021 was mostly to keep contact with people who only had that number and the 027 was my primary handset. This lasted until someone tried to guess my 021 PIN and PUK codes, frying my SIM card and Vodafone said I needed to spend $30 to get a new SIM and that I couldn't get my address book back from my current SIM. So I walked away. That said, the 2280 was getting a bit old and some of the buttons would double tap, but I refused to give it up as the only better handset was $500, which wasn't worth it.
So I kept the 2280 until my ex's dad took pity on me and found me a 2nd hand Nokia 6275i, my current handset. This was the only decent 'candybar' Nokia that Telecom had on offer. It's a very good phone with a big colour screen, nice interface, easy to txt with, however it's not perfect. The buttons are a bit small and holding it to txt is just a little bit more stressful than it needs to be. Add to that the earpiece is quiet and I'm in the market again. The only difference now is that I'm on 2000 txts to just Telecom for $10/month (which I can change on any given month, well done Telecom) and that I occasionally check twitter from my phone.
So with this new network, what am I looking for? I won't buy a flip top and I only like Nokias. I have to be able to send lots of txts. If Vodafone offered and guaranteed 2000 txts to both networks for $10 I'd be tempted, except my friends are mostly on Telecom with the same deal I have. However, Vodafone have BestMate and Mobile Number Portability so I could keep my 027 number. I don't need a new handset, but I do want one. I want a phone that doesn't get in my way and a cost that doesn't get in my way. If you offer a plan that has things I don't want, it gets in my way. If you force me to think about prepaying for services each month, that gets in my way. If you try to lock me in for a long time, that gets in my way. If you try to charge me for customer service, that gets in my way.
In this game, Telecom is still winning. They targeted the student, with a low cost, high usage plan that appealed to those who only have pocket money or only want to spend pocket money. They have managed to get lots of kids onto the network and these kids will grow up less likely to change. Vodafone have targeted business customers and I assume that's going well for them, but I'm not a business.
I also don't care that the new network will be faster. I care that Telecom have unlocked a lot of Nokia handsets for my use. If they don't keep the $10 txt plans on the new network I will cling to the current CDMA network, however if the plans prove to be universal and don't lock me in, you'll probably see me with a new handset soon.