By Tony Hallett, 13 January 2004 14:55
NEWS Orange has announced a push-to-talk (PTT) offering, aiming first at business users but eventually at mobile-phone users who don't take up data messaging services.
TalkNow allows walkie-talkie-style communication between two people or from one person to many. It is also allows an easier-than-present way to send a voice message to up to 30 people.
Because it operates over GSM networks, like SMS texting, Orange is claiming a world first - until now PTT has been a national affair, famously on Nextel's US network.
Clearly the France Telecom-owned mobile operator sees revenue-growth opportunities. "Voice is going to get even stronger for us," Orange chief executive Sol Trujillo said at a London launch event.
For now, Orange is in trials with customers such as IBM, Pfizer, the RAC and Shell, and won't announce pricing for another month or more. It is known that it will be based on time rather than individual messages, and will be bundled in with other services at a premium.
Jeremy Green, principal analyst wireless at Ovum, said: "Part of the attraction in the US has been that PTT is cheap or free, bundling it in making Nextel, or more recently Verizon Wireless and Sprint more attractive."
The rollout will begin in France and the UK, then move to Belgium, the Netherlands, Denmark and Slovakia in the third quarter, and other territories thereafter.
TalkNow for Business aims to draw on the company's existing three million European corporate customers, with Orange targeting a million active users across its footprint during the first 12 months the service is offered.
One of the ongoing trial users of TalkNow said the voice service requires a different etiquette from traditional calls and data messaging.
Doug Clark, IBM wireless e-business leader for Northern Europe, said: "We use it as an adjunct to instant messaging and we've found that, especially in white collar environments, you need to adopt a new etiquette."
Nextel found success with PTT particularly in the US construction industry, and claims that the technology has lead to call-management options being built in to the Orange client.
Orange is starting TalkNow on the Treo 600 handset and will move it to other 'signature' smart phones, such as the Orange SPV, the Motorola MPx200 and the Nokia 6600, and then lower-end consumer handsets that typically use closed, proprietary OSes by the end of the year.
Comments
There are 3 comments. Join the discussion
1. ajit surana
I want to construct a walkie talkie and having no idea of it so would u plz give me some idea about the construction of walkie-talkie and also if possible would u provide me links about this Qustion
2. Naresh Ganwani
Dear Ajij Surana,
I dont know what interest you have to develop a walkie talkie of your own, But just to share with you, All mobile operators in India, will enable there mobile phones as Walkie- Talkie, caleed as Push-to-talk service (POC, PTT).
It will be launched by all GSM operators in India, also by TATA Teleservices thur Qualcomm.
Regards
3. nizam
I requested the TalkNow service form Orange. All they able to do is activate there service at their end. thats it. They cant get me the application to put it on my Treo 600 - well, the biggest problem is none of their staff seem to know much about the new service. Eventually they sent me to Orange Retail shop who ARE supposed to be able to install it onto your Treo for you. I went to the shop and they said "Push to what???" i said "TALK", they said "Push what to talk?". Point is they new nothing about it!
ANyway, i have the service activated, i have a TREO, now i need the client application to run the service - anyone have any idea where i can get the application from? HAs anyone got it that they can just mail it to me? my email address is [URL=http://mailto:nizam1@orange.net]nizam1@orange.net[/URL].