Walkie-Talkie Phones Hit the Family Market

Push-to-talk technology (PTT), which requires no dial-up and is always "on," started as a way for blue-collar workers like security guards to communicate efficiently, reports the WSJ. But now, some wireless companies are targeting a broader consumer market for PTT services, hoping the feature will catch on with teens who want instant updates from friends and family members who want to stay in frequent touch with one another.

... But push-to-talk service has some major limitations that could affect its appeal to the mass market. The biggest of these: Unlike text messaging, users who buy the service from different carriers can't communicate with each other."

Cingular to Launch Push-to-Talk Service

Cingular Wireless is set to launch a push-to-talk service on Monday, as it hopes to take on Sprint Nextel Corp. in offering this potentially lucrative service. [via the WSJ]

DoCoMo unveils walkie-talkie phones

NTT DoCoMo has unveiled a line of 3G phones with a walkie-talkie feature -the "push-to-talk" function- that was first made popular in the United States, reports Reuters.

Telecoms operators worldwide see the feature as a potential new source of revenue in increasingly saturated markets. The feature has allowed U.S. mobile operator Nextel to gain a loyal following of business customers and report one of the U.S. industry's highest average revenues per user.

Both KDDI and Vodafone K.K., Japan's No. 2 and No. 3 mobile operators, are also expected to launch phones with push-to-talk in coming months.

DoCoMo said it planned to target both consumers and business users with the new service, which it dubbed "Push Talk." DoCoMo said there would be a delay of about two seconds before a receiver hears what the speaker said.

Japanese carriers to start group chat for cellphones

Japanese mobile telephone operator KDDI will start a group chat service later this year allowing five users to converse and share text messages and pictures, reports the AFP.

"KDDI, Japan's second-biggest mobile operator, will launch several cellphone models with the new function by the end of the year, with the service available on all models by early next year, the Asahi Shimbun said.

The new mobiles will use technology known as "push-to-talk" for group chatting, in which a user would press a button to open a conversation like when using a transceiver, it said.

Others listen to it simultaneously, with a second member in the group pressing the talk button to carry the conversation on once the first person finishes, it said.

The KDDI service would also enable users to send and share texts and pictures, the daily said without citing sources."

T2Me

T2Me is a kind of push-to-talk voice chat software for mobile phones using GPRS. [via favorite Red Ferret Journal].

In their own words:

T2Me is a Push-to-Talk system which converts your existing cellular phone into a virtual Walkie-Talkie; it lets you exchange voice messages with other T2Me users anywhere in the world simply by typing in their phone numbers and a button-push.

Intellisync to give push e-mail capability for low-cost phones

The wireless airwaves may get a bit more crowded next year following the announcement that Intellisync's goAnywhere technology, unveiled this week, will give users of low-cost feature phones the same push e-mail capability that is now only available on pricier smart phones. [via InfoWorld]

"The goAnywhere solution requires no additional software on the handset, needing only SyncML, an industry standard for data synchronization already included in millions of phones".

Push to Talk launched in Taiwan

Motorola has announced commercial deployment of Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) solutions on a GPRS network in Asia Pacific for one of Taiwan's largest operators, Chunghwa Telecom, according to Cellular News .

"Chunghwa Telecom will be able to offer easy one-push PoC services to any of its estimated eight million wireless subscribers".

T–Mobile to launch push-to-talk service

T–Mobile is to become the first German mobile operator to offer the push-to-talk (PTT) service, reports DMEurope.

"The company is to introduce it at the YOU 2004 youth fair in Berlin. The service will be available via the Nokia 5140 handset.

A full commercial launch is slated for the end of the year. "

Push-to-talk wiretaps on feds' speed list

The U.S. Department of Justice says Alltel, a telecommunications company with 12 million customers, must not receive an extension to make its "push to talk" service compatible with wiretaps, reports News.com.

"On Aug. 4, the FCC ruled that push-to-talk services on cell phones, which resemble walkie-talkies, are subject to the Communications Assistance for Law Enforcement Act, or CALEA. The Justice Department also has objected to extensions for AT&T Wireless and Sprint PCS".

Orange UK launches corporate push-to-talk

Orange has launched Talk Now, its commercial "push-to-talk" service, following nine months of customer trials across Europe, according to The Register.

"This is the first European launch of the technology by Orange. The company plans to launch in France and Switzerland later in 2004.

The modified walkie-talkie service allows the user to broadcast messages to as many as ten people at once. As part of the launch in the UK, Talk Now is available on a promotional tariff where groupcalls are charged at the same rate as standard mobile calls."

Do You Hear Your E-Mail Ringing?

Taking Push To Talk service to the next level, Nextel's NextMail lets you send a voice message via e-mail with the touch of a button, reports PC World.

"Say hello to "Push To Mail," Nextel's NextMail e-mail service. Using the same PTT button on the side of their phones, Nextel customers can now send a voice message via the company's new NextMail e-mail service.

Recipients get an e-mail with a link to a page that plays the voice message--but this works only if the recipient has Windows Media Player version 6.4 or later. Alternatively, you can check off a box to have the voice message sent in MP3 format as an e-mail attachment."

Singapore trialing Push to Talk

Push to Talk, the service that turns the mobile phone into a "walkie-talkie" device and is popular in the United States, will debut in Singapore in a limited trial on the M1 network starting this week. [Cellular News].

Push-to-Talk E-Mail

Nextel Communications has announced NextMail, a unique application that allows users to send a streaming mp3 voice message from their phone to any e-mail recipient, by simply pressing the Direct Connect button on the side of every Nextel phone, according to Daily Wireless via near near future.

"Nextel subscribers can send NextMail messages from anywhere in Nextel's U.S. network, or from Canada, Brazil, Argentina and Peru. Recipients of NextMail messages can be anywhere in the world and they do not need to be Nextel customers."

Nokia's PTT consultancy service

Nokia has launched a consultancy service (known as PoC Enterprise Market) in all the major markets where its network business groups operate, to sample Push-to-talk services, according RCR Wireless News via near near future.

Push 2 Talk launched in India

Hutch, India's leading cellular service provider, has launched a Push to Talk service, reports Cellular News.

"push2talk,, the result of a partnership between Hutch and international technology partner Fastmobile, will be available to all Hutch and Orange users and is the first such service to be available nationally."

AT&T Wireless Pulls Back on Push-to-Talk

AT&T Wireless is waving a white flag on the walkie-talkie front, according to TheStreet.com.

"The wireless giant had planned to introduce two-way radio service this quarter. But executives on a conference call with analysts Friday said there had been a change of plan.

Instead of preparing their own offering, AT&T Wireless executives said they would work with other carriers to develop a common platform -- delaying the project indefinitely.

To some observers, the move is just a case of a few more wheels coming off the nation's No. 3 wireless player. But others say the decision is a wise concession given AT&T Wireless' pending merger with Cingular".

How Much Can Europe Chat?

As cellphone firms prepare Push-to-talk serivces, the WSJ voices industry experts who are questioning whether there is such an immediate demand in Europe. And they note that the region's operators have enough on their plates with the launch of third-generation wireless services.

There may also be cultural differences as well, as "Europeans use mobile phones differently. Text messaging is much more popular in Europe than in the U.S., where paging was a much bigger phenomenon, and push-to-talk isn't as private as text messaging".

"It's another thing that will be much more hyped than used," said Sarah Harris, an analyst at technology consultants Strategy Analytics in Milton Keynes, England.

Nextel keeps moving on push-to-talk

Nextel Communications isn't waiting for more mobile operators to roll out would-be competitors to Direct Connect, the pioneering "push-to-talk" service that lets subscribers talk instantly to friends and associates. It's charging ahead to extend that service and its capabilities, reports InfoWorld.

Amongst the new features:

- Nextel will be introducing a handset-to-handset push-to-talk capability that lets users keep communicating even if the cellular network goes down. This capability could be critical for public safety employees in emergencies.

- Nextel plans to introduce camera phones and MMS capabilities this year, enabling its business customers using MMS, to send audio and video files to and from phones.

Group behavior using push-to-talk services

Smart Mobs has an interesting post on a study published in Mobile Community Design, of a group of friends given free unlimited use of push-to-talk cell phones and allowed to develop their own social patterns and communication uses. Click here for full conclusions

Nokia tackles 'walkie-talkie' discord

Nokia sought to prevent a growing row over push-to-talk mobile phone technology with a promise that its networks and software would be compatible with other manufacturers' offerings, reports MSNBC.

"Nokia insists it remains committed to the OMA standard, which is due to be finalized this month. In the interim, however, it is offering its own "pre-standard" technology to satisfy "market demand for a rapid launch. These phones are due to be on the market in the second quarter.

Analysts said Nokia had also diverged from its peers in the development of mobile base stations, and two years ago was pushing its own Enhanced Messaging Service"s.

Related article, Nokia Move May Hamper Hopes For Walkie-Talkies

Nokia Move May Hamper Hopes For Walkie-Talkies

There are several articles online today on Push-to-talk technology, I'm posting excerpts from the story in the Wall Street Journal, but for anyone who is not a subscriber, there are good articles in both Infosync World and ZDNet UK.

Excerpts from the WSJ

"In autumn, Nokia, Telefon AB L.M. Ericsson ,Motorola Inc. and Siemens AG said they would ensure that all their walkie-talkie handsets and network equipment would work together. But Ericsson said Monday that Nokia, the world's leading cellphone maker, is developing walkie-talkie handsets that won't work with network software from other suppliers.

Johan Bergendahl, vice president of marketing at Ericsson, said Nokia is trying to get a lead on other suppliers, but the compatibility problems "could take years to rectify." An executive at another leading equipment supplier also warned that Nokia's phones don't work with other companies' network software.

In any case, the spat is another example of how cellphone-equipment suppliers have been struggling in recent years to ensure that their products work together, slowing down the rollout of new services. Picture messaging, for example, took off slowly partly because the first consumers to try it found they couldn't send messages to their friends on different networks".

For more on PTT, check out this category in Textually.

Poll: PTT Problems Ahoy!

Respondents to February's Unstrung poll (52 percent ) say that a lack of interoperability among push-to-talk (PTT) services offered by separate carriers could be a big hurdle to the widespread adoption of these digital walkie-talkies.

Walkie-Talkies Get A Makeover

Six months ago, an application that allows cell phones to morph into walkie-talkies was heralded as the next big thing in wireless telephony. Suddenly the blue-collar feature was hip and everyone had to have it--never mind that Nextel Communications phones had been equipped with the technology for more than a decade. Read on for Forbes special report outlining the history, the reason for PTT's success and the players.

One company mentioned in the article caught my eye: "Calif.-based Kodiak Networks. A startup, with contracts with European operator Orange and U.S. Alltel, offers interesting additions to the traditional push-to-talk services, including the availability of call waiting during an instant call, the scheduled delivery of voice mail, and the capacity to transform an instant call into a regular call at the push of a button.

Their technology is compatible with both U.S. standards CDMA and GSM and the startup makes the technology available free to handset makers, so a wider array of products should soon be available".

U.S. probes Motorola, Nextel on walkie-talkie dominance

Nextel Communications Inc. and Motorola Inc., faced with a government investigation into the push-to-talk wireless phone service they dominate, hired antitrust lawyers, according to The Chicago Tribune.

"The investigation could result in breaking up their market dominance," said Martin Zohn, an attorney at Proskauer Rose LLP in Los Angeles. "Any company in America that received this request would hire strong counsel."

SonyEricsson to launch Push to Talk handsets

Sonim and Sony Ericsson are to collaborate to integrate Push-to-Talk capability in SonyEricsson phones, based on the Push to talk over Cellular (PoC) standard, ensuring the interoperability required to create substantial subscriber adoption. according to Cellular News.

Motorola preps European 'push to talk' phone

Motorola introduced three new models with "walkie-talkie"-like features, including a model for the European market, according to Yahoo News and The Register.

"The V400p is quad-band GSM camera phone with an integrated 640 x 480 digicam complete with 4x zoom. It contains 5MB of user-accessible memory to store messages, pictures, contact details and emails.

Alongside the V400p's walkie-talkie push-to-talk facility, the handset can operate as a speakerphone. It also supports MP3, MIDI and WAV ringtones".

Ericsson's «Instant Talk» or «Verbal SMS»

A new, verbal way to send messages via the GSM network that does not require users to type in a SMS is here, Swedish-based telecommunications giant Ericsson has announced. And, like current text-based SMS's, it costs less than a cellphone call, reports Cool Tech.

"Thanks to Push to Talk (PTT) technology, existing cellular networks can be used to send the equivalent of verbal SMS to multiple recipients, similar to that used by internet chat rooms.

"In order to use verbal SMS, PTT users should register with their respective networks to be PTT-enabled, then set up a “buddy list” on their phones. Each contact that has their phone switched on is highlighted on this list to show they are immediately available. Users can choose to mark themselves as unavailable when in meetings or when they require privacy.

Ericsson felt the US regulations restricting PTT users to one network each was an unattractive solution. Instant Talk, a PTT solution, has been designed with interoperability in mind and it ensures users from different cellular providers can send and receive messages without network problems".

The latest wireless craze in Hong Kong: walkie-talkies?

Though 99% of the population of Hong Kong have cellphones, the latest craze sweeping the city isn't video calling. It's two-way walkie-talkie radios that people are carrying in addition to their phones and using for making plans or just eavesdropping on others. [Gizmodo via Techdirt]

That's wild. Does anyone know if there are launch plans for Japanese phones with Push-to-talk technology?

Siemens aims for lead position with "Push-to-Talk"

Siemens Mobile says wants to further advance the market for walkie-talkie functionality on mobile phones (PoC: "Push-to-Talk over Cellular") and assume a lead position in this area, reports Cellular News.

"By mid-2004, Siemens mobile says that it will be the world's first provider to make its entire product range available for PoC, which is based on the open, cross-vendor specification".

For more on push-to-talk, check out the PTT category in Textually.org.

Kyocera Wireless to launch PTP phone

Kyocera Wireless said Tuesday that it has joined the growing number of manufacturers producing cell phones with a walkie-talkie feature known informally as "push to talk.", reports News.com. "The phones will make a debut early next year".

"Kyocera Wireless is entering an increasingly crowded market for handsets that feature push-to-talk features. Motorola has been selling push-to-talk handsets for a decade. Nokia recently introduced its first push-to-talk handset, the 5140, and said all of its phones will feature push to talk by 2005. Sources said handset maker Siemens also intends to introduce push-to-talk phones in the next few months".

For more on push-to-talk, check out this category in Textually.org.