[Paul_Grenfell]

Craig, i did see the APAC version briefly..and many N8 owners quickly grabbed it before it was withdrawn..

So it does exist and should be made available again..

Unfortunately, the E7 never got that same  opportunity.. The so called "business" phone..

I hope J Lo is correct, and it is indeed being worked on.. But i like many others, i am deeply upset with Nokias

constant neglect of Australian Customers.. Whats to say the same wont happen to the Awesome 808? or even the Lumia Models? Its not good business practice nor good for consumer confidence. 

[a340500]

Nokia, if you want to fix your reputation down under, how about releasing Belle + Enhancements Pack 1 for NZ and Au directly..

The ball is in your court I will not consider Nokia any more moving forward until you do something to fix this **bleep** you have done to us for the 3rd time!

Many of my friends and colleagues here in Melbourne and other cities in Australia are looking closely at what Nokia does next for us N8, C7 and other similair era models before we make another Nokia purchase.

I personally feel that a phone once purchased should be supported atleast for 2 years after purchase (in terms of software fixes and updates anyways).

Nokia was really good at this.. What the !@#$ happened?

[PaulDTroy]

So its coming to Australia and New Zealand ( we hope) But we just dont know when..
Whats the Delay for Generic Unbranded Models?

[Paul_Grenfell]

Support for Nokia phones, is pretty bad in Australia.
i will be getting my 808 from overseas somewhere..

[jraduga]

Theres something i dont understand, maybe someone can tell me something. why do nokia release phones listed as global but are always excepting North America. And then North America gets phone just for itself and not for the rest of the world.

Why do the USA and Canada get lumia 900 and we dont. and we does everywhere else get the 808 but USA and canada dont. Does anyone know???

[XxWWWSAMxX]

apparently the 808 not releasing in USA because it wont sell (as much as they would like it to)<--they're all iOs and Droid. Also heard rumours of a 41mp WP which will be the 808 replacement in USA. But all this is slightly off topic...

Why The Hell Is Australia Still BELLE-less??

[jraduga]

As far as Australia being Belleless, well we only know that it definitely coming, but kerttu cannot seem to explain at what stage it is at in development.

Somethings do change though, I was reviewing stuff the other day and the lumia 900 was only for the US/Canada. It has just like in the last day or so been change to global. BUT before you all start to smile about getting a phone with 4G, it appears that this is being reserved only for AT&T customers in the states. However we will come close we are getting HSDPA+ Dual Carrier Cat24 42 Mbps included in the global version. Which is from my understanding closer to Telstra Next G network which is more or less 3.9G, not quite 4G but not bad all the same, which has been around for a couple of years now. Still its not LTE. Come on Nokia we are running LTE out here now. Other carriers have already extensive areas switched across. Give us the full thing no restrictions. Vodaphone havea  list of areas as long as your arm that have already switched across in australia and so has telstra.

here is an copy of a report from optus:-

Australia’s first 700 MHz call marks next step in LTE journey

Australia’s first 700 MHz call marks next step in LTE journey
Australia’s next step in LTE (Long Term Evolution) is one step closer after Optus announced today that it had successfully connected Australia’s first LTE data call in the 700MHz ”Digital Dividend’ spectrum band. This marks the commencement of Optus’ 700MHz LTE trials in Bendigo, Victoria with technology partner Huawei, as it seeks to deliver faster mobile broadband services with superior coverage to existing 4G networks.
Günther Ottendorfer, Managing Director of Optus Networks said, “Today’s announcement is a critical step in Australia’s LTE future as Optus will be the first carrier in Australia to test a variety of commercially available consumer devices on a 700 MHz 4G network, including smartphones, tablets and 4G Wi-Fi hotspots. Optus is using these trials to understand how consumers can maximise the benefits of a modern LTE network.”
The technology trials have begun this week after Optus became the first Australian carrier to be granted access to the Digital Dividend spectrum. The trial is being conducted in Bendigo as analogue television services have already been switched off in the area.
The 700MHz band is currently delivering LTE services in North America and will also be used in the Asia-Pacific region due to its ability to offer coverage at greater distances from mobile base stations than current LTE technologies available in Australia.
Optus is using this trial to measure how 700MHz LTE technology performs in terms of speed and coverage when compared to other LTE technologies. Another key component of the trial will be the ability to test a variety of current Optus services and applications including smartphone apps, mobile TV services, IPTV, low-latency gaming and HD video conferencing within an LTE environment.
The tests will also ensure that LTE in the 700MHz band does not interfere with any digital TV broadcast services once the spectrum has been auctioned in late 2012 and the switch off of analogue television services is completed nationwide at the end of 2014.
“This LTE trial is an important step in assessing the performance of next-generation mobile technology in the lead-up to 700MHz spectrum auctions in 2012,” said Huawei Australia CTO Peter Rossi. “Huawei is the world’s leading LTE vendor, with 18 commercial networks deployed globally, and our largest R&D teams dedicated to LTE innovation.”

The Optus Open Network The Optus Open Network covers more than 97% of the Australian population for voice and data, and services more than 9 million mobile customers. Long Term Evolution (LTE) is an important milestone on Optus’ technology roadmap to provide customers with lower latency and faster wireless data speeds. Optus will begin its LTE network rollout in October 2011. The first services will be available in Newcastle, Port Stephens, the Hunter Valley and Lake Macquarie areas from April 2012. Sydney, Melbourne and Perth will follow mid-year in line with widespread availability of devices. Optus will announce Phase 2 of its LTE rollout in the coming months.

[vinophilius]

I give up!  Those turkeys at Nokia Australia, sad to say, appear incapable of even running a bath.  The fundamental failures illuminated by the ongoing Belle debacle are now amplified by trying to gee-up an increasingly sceptical customer base to buy a new Lumia phone which will be all but obselete even before it's released.  It may take great photos but won't sell without LTE (4G) connectivity; that's where the market for smart phones has moved.  I won't be buying one; I'm not that stupid nor, I suspect, are many others.  Nokia's market share in Australia will be in free fall as once loyal customers head en masse to the exits and, I suspect, that's fast becoming irreversible.  The incomptence demonstrated by this whole sorry saga simply beggars belief.  So long Nokia, you've completely lost the plot.

[Paul_Grenfell]

vinophilius
I think Nokia Australia , deliberately withheld Belle Update to try and flog the the Lumia 800 upon us. Trouble is,so many of us have still got E7, N8 and E6 etc - still under contract or have had them for less than 1-2 years. They are not going to upgrade to Lumia. We have all bought these phones with the expectation of ongoing updates, including Belle.
If anything, the Nokia 808 is what most of us in Australia will be wanting to upgrade to eventually, or LTE devices. However, the future of 808 is in doubt, because Nokia cant seem to give us proper support for these devices. Not good for consumer confidence.

[jraduga]

I agree, it seems every second day they are chopping and changing things, with what seems to them that they know what we want, but just seem to get it wrong everytime. Or they go half way and then say oh that should be enough for them.

What they dont seem to understand is that in Australia, we are a customer focused, service based country, that expects to have appropriate features and products to match existing services (whether those services are provided by the same company or work in tandem with another). Being a high tech loving country we expect the best products not half baked attempts. We believe in innovation and want constant innovation. And with as many phone manufacturers that are providing new phones for us, competition is fierce. nookia will need to be just fierce at the very least if it is to survive and gain access to our money.

I typically buy a new phone around every 2 years, with my E7 being only about 1 year old, not really looking for a new phone, however if one came up with LTE then maybe i would do the swap.

[Paul_Grenfell]

Over a month and still "Nokia Belle updates in planning " Whatever that means..

[vinophilius]

Paul_Grenfell

It's all pie in the sky with Nokia, Paul.  It perpetually holds out the prospect but delivers neither the goods nor the customer service to support them.  It is the triumph of spin over substance.

There are plenty of LTE/4G phones now on the market that you can actually buy today.  All do everything Nokia does (promises actually, but hasn't delivered) and then some.  Probably the most attractive is Samsung HD LTE E120s, but there's many others and they're there right now from companies that understand what customer service is.  As everyone knows, a bird in the hand is worth many more in the bush.

I have ruefully come to appreciate that, with Nokia, it's too little, too late, too often.  Unless Nokia gets its act together sometime very soon, it'll inevitably succumb to market forces; it's committing commercial seppuku, but just don't seem to get it.

[ohmyohmy]

jraduga
Why do the USA and Canada get lumia 900 and we dont.
 
Because they have LTE 700mhz and Australia DOES NOT! (See below for more on that)

Telstra Next G network which is more or less 3.9G, not quite 4G

There is no true LTE 4G network yet, all 4G networks are "3.9G" however the standards are allowing the network to be called 4G.
The ITU who sets the standards are also now allowing HSPA+ to be called 4G even though it is only a 3G network which is why overnight many networks are being sold as "4G" when they are not true LTE 4G.

Come on Nokia we are running LTE out here now
Telstra are the only network close to running 4G and it is on 1800Mhz which the Lumina does not support.

Vodaphone havea  list of areas
Vodafone does not have any 4G network running yet

Australia’s first 700 MHz call marks next step in LTE journey
Australia’s first 700 MHz call marks next step in LTE journey
Australia’s next step in LTE (Long Term Evolution) is one step closer after Optus announced today that it had successfully connected Australia’s first LTE data call in the 700MHz ”Digital Dividend’ spectrum band. This marks the commencement of Optus’ 700MHz LTE trials in Bendigo

Did you read the part which said "trial"?
It is only a trial because 700Mhz is used for TV in most of Australia, it is impossible to use 700Mhz 4G to cover Australia at the moment and will be impossible to have a 700Mhz 4G network covering Australia until 2014 at the earliest

But even if we did have 700Mhz 4G now the American Lumina 900 would NOT work in australia because the technology behind the network is different.
In the future if you buy a 700mhz 4G phone and try to use it in Australia it will not work.

It will not be until there is a 2600Mhz 4G network that you will be able to buy international 4G phones to use here or roam internationally with 4G as 2600Mhz is likely to be the roaming standard frequency.

[ohmyohmy]

PaulDTroy,
The delay for unbranded models is that the Australian carriers still need to approve the firmware for use on their network

The delay is not nokias fault, it is the network operators wanting to approve each firmware for use on their network.

[jraduga]

ohmyohmy

Did u read the whole article from Optus, That article was written last year, the Trial was in the Greater bendigo area on the 700mhz band. In particular did you read the last paragragh, that stated

The first services will be available in Newcastle, Port Stephens, the Hunter Valley and Lake Macquarie areas from April 2012. Sydney, Melbourne and Perth will follow mid-year in line with widespread availability of devices. Optus will announce Phase 2 of its LTE rollout in the coming months. and that's directly from Optus.

Tell me something how long do you think it will take Nokia to get that phone out here. It will take months and months, by which time Optus will have covered all major cities. But if you dont push them for it, well be stuck with a phone that does half the job. Considering that only AT&T in the states and canada will have LTE and the rest of north america wont, what the chance of getting it here if we dont push for it. Optus has already started working on the networks in those areas, which was started also last year, and that was confirmed to me by Optus on monday of this week.

As far as your other comment in regards to Belle not being available, The carriers/telco dont even have it as yet to test, it not at that point yet. Not unless that has changed in the last few days.  From what i can work out from things that have been mentioned by Nokia when i have rung them, they are still trying to find out what the carriers want in Belle before they make the alterations to it. So at this point it has nothing to do with testing. Not based on the last conversation i have had a almost a week ago.

The hspa+ dual band is still only 3.9G and the speed difference is not huge when you compare what the LTE lumia 900 will offer difference of 50Mbs( true LTE) against the Telstra 40Mbs (next G 3.9g HSPA+) But still we need to push for the LTE otherwise you will be looking at possible a year before nokia decide to release a true LTE device out here. Lumia 900 is now a global phone and will run the HSDPA+ cat24 42Mbs. So we are gettign the 700mhz band from next month and is already in the greater bendigo area, like it or not we are getting true LTE ( I like it ), so why not have a nice new nokia lumia 900 with LTE.

[jraduga]

by the way here are the new specs for the lumia 900

http://www.developer.nokia.com/Devices/Device_specifications/Lumia_900/

check all the frequencies that the lumia 900 now uses and all the standards, speeds etc

It seems that it will be quite a capabale phone when finally released. just it needs to be fully compatible with australia.And thats means it must include LTE no half baked attempts

[vinophilius]

Wishful thinking, jraduga. The Global version won't even have LTE when it finally hits the shelves. Telstra already has deployed 4G on 1800MHz and there are handsets that utilize that 4G band already selling on the market. They're not Nokia though, and won't be for years even if Nokia survives that long.

[jraduga]

I dont think so. The global version will not have LTE as i have mentioned before, but the USA and Canada version will using the 700mhz band. The same as what OPtus will be using here, So why not include that version for here as well.

What slow poke like telstra and vodaphone do is up to them although they all claim 4g and to an extent it is right, it is all part of the same family all being 3GPP, but that where it finishes. telstra will only go between 2Mbs and 40 Mbs using the hspa+ services. Vodaphone looks like similar at this stage.

So if Optus can do it why not have aphone that can handle it.

Origianlly Lumia 900 was only for the USA, recently it was upgraded to include canada, and now they have decided on a gloabl version.So if they can specify cerain networks and places, why not add optus australia to it. 

[Paul_Grenfell]

Let them know how you feel here too..
http://nokiaconnects.com/2012/03/12/nokia-belle-a-software-revolution/#comment-50881

[vinophilius]

Jraduga,

I hear your plea in respect of the release of the Lumia 900 for Optus in Oz. Your logic is impeccable but I seriously doubt it'll happen given that Nokia Australia is daily demonstrating the market savvy of a goldfish. Whatever, you'll be able to source one of those devices from an USA on-line merchant such as CTINYC when it is finally released to market. Just check the compatibility with Oz technical requirements though. As I understand it the RM-808 variant may be LTE 700MHz capable but it won't be 3G 900MHz capable so you'll only get half the package, if any at all. You may be stuck with just a plain old GSM (2G) phone for Oz in the end.

I'd be inclined to put more faith in the tooth fairy to be honest.