Cingular today launched Push to Talk, its PTT walkie-talkie service reports Phonescoop. Cingular is offering the service as an add-on to existing voice plans for a flat rate of $9.99 per month for unlimited use, or $19.99 for family plans.
Unique features include visual real-time availability information (presence), call waiting, and the ability to convert a PTT call to a normal voice call at any time. Like other PTT services, it also offers 1-to-1 or group access with one touch of a dedicated side key, contacts and groups can be configured on the phone, and it can work over speakerphone or via earpiece like a normal phone call.
The LG F7200 – an entry-level slider available in stores today – is the only compatible phone available initially. A second compatible phone – the Samsung D357 clamshell phone with Bluetooth – will be available soon.
To enable push to talk, voice is digitized and sent over the data channel; either EDGE for GSM networks or 1XRTT for CDMA operators. Interconnection between CDMA and GSM operators is not yet available and the standardization effort is still getting underway.
Cingular will initially launch UMTS handsets next year. Regular UMTS provides 200 kb/s to 320 kb/s. Data cards with faster HSDPA capability (500-700 kb/s) are available now, but chips for handsets aren’t. EV-DO doesn’t currently support voice, but CDMA operators are confident that Revision A of the software will enable CDMA carriers to handle VoIP on the “Data Only” channel with the improved upstream speed.
The new service is being powered by Kodiak Networks. Other providers using Kodiak’s technology, include Orange, Alltel and Verizon’s Mobile Virtual Network Operator, called AMP’d which runs on BREW phones. An advantage of the solution that Cingular has chosen is that it is supported by a number of handset manufacturers.
Mobile Tornado developed a Push-To-Talk service using two-way VoIP sessions conducted over any packet-based network such as GPRS, CDMA1x, CDPD, wireless LAN and satellite. Dynamicsoft (bought by Cisco) and Core Mobility are among the companies Sprint tapped to help power its walkie-talkie service.
Nextel’s unlimited push-to-talk (DirectConnect), starts at $50 a month, although it’s generally agreed to be a superior service. Verizon’s Wireless walkie-talkie service costs about $60 a month while Sprint lowered the cost of its Ready Link walkie-talkie service from $15 to $10/month (on top of regular voice charges of about $30/month), according to ZDNet. GSM operator T-Mobile does not yet offer the service. The first real-time (less than 150ms) voice application for BREW-enabled phones, the Kodiak AVS Client can be downloaded over-the-air (OTA) and requires no handset replacement.
Macromedia’s FlashLite also runs on BREW phones. Unlike the J2ME platform, where any developer can upload and execute software on any supported handset, BREW applications must be digitally signed. Java ME devices implement a profile. The most common is the Mobile Information Device Profile (Midlet), for cell phones and PDAs. Openwap.org has news on the latest open source Midlets for Java phones like Gmail mobile, Google Maps Mobile and MicroJabber.
Although initially PTT over CDMA may not meet Sprint’s goal of less than 1-second set-up times, Sprint will begin opening up the gateways between its iDEN and CDMA networks, allowing for customers to migrate from iDEN to CDMA. Sprint-Nextel also has 2.5 GHz frequencies for mobile WiMax. Perhaps it could be drafted for PPT Videophoning — although the company is keeping their plans hush hush.
The Department of Defense, it is rumored, may purchase Sprint-Nextel’s iDEN network. In exchange, Sprint will receive some broad swaths of spectrum in the 700 and 800 MHz bands for mobile WiMax deployments. The DoD wants to enhance its $10 billion wireless network (IWN). It might make sense. The DOD wouldn’t have to start from scratch equipping everyone with expensive P-25 radios and Sprint-Nextel could unload iDEN on the government. Then Sprint could sell an improved Flarion/MediaFLO combo deal on 700Mhz.
Charles Townsend may be following the money on that one. Townsend may have thought he had 700 MHz all wrapped up. Sorry, Charlie.
“Hello, Ivan, can you hear me?”
Related DailyWireless stories include; Push-to-Talk VoIP Network, Pushing-To-Talk, Interop PushToTalk, Sprint Launches Push-To-Talk, Verizon Launches PTT and PTT Interoperability for GSM.
