Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Sprint closes in on PTT service

From: [email-masked]
Date: Mon, 10 Nov 2003 14:30:37 -0500

Sprint closes in on PTT service
By DAN MEYER
November 10 13:15:00, 2003

The push-to-talk market is set for more fireworks this week as industry
sources are predicting Sprint PCS will launch its Ready
Link service as soon as Nov. 16, while a new push-to-talk platform
vendor has entered the market with a product it claims is
superior to the current Voice over Internet Protocol offerings, and in
many cases performs better than Motorola Inc.’s
iDEN-based service that is regarded by many as the industry standard.

According to industry sources, Sprint PCS, which has repeatedly said it
would launch PTT before the end of the year, is set to
introduce the highly anticipated service this weekend just prior to the
implementation of wireless local number portability on
Nov. 24.

The service will reportedly be a $5 add-on for customers who already
subscribe to the carrier’s $15 per month PCS Vision
service or a $15 standalone option. The price is comparable to Verizon
Wireless’ Push-to-Talk offering, which is priced as a
$20 premium offering on its America’s Choice rate plans, though Sprint
PCS’ service will include unlimited access to the
carrier’s WAP-based wireless Internet service.

Handset selections for the service are also expected to top Verizon
Wireless’ single-phone launch and include a pair of
color-screen Sanyo models for the initial launch and an additional Sanyo
model expected before the end of the year.

The initial handsets reportedly will include a ruggedized version of the
Sanyo 4900 handset Sprint PCS used when it launched
its PCS Vision service last year and a flip-phone similar to the current
Sanyo 8100 that will exchange the external camera for a
speakerphone deemed necessary for walkie-talkie offerings. The
additional Sanyo flip-phone model, which recently popped up
on the Federal Communications Commission handset approval site, will
include a camera on the back of the handset with the
ability to take 15-second video clips, plus a speakerphone on the front.

Sprint PCS has not announced a vendor for its push-to-talk solutions
though industry sources and comments from Sprint PCS
management claim the service will provide superior latency compared with
Verizon Wireless’ service, but might not match
iDEN-based solutions being used by Nextel Communications Inc., Nextel
Partners Inc., Southern LINC and Canadian
operator Telus Mobility.

http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=15852

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