Subject: [NEXTEL-1] So this is Nextel's successor?

From: [email-masked]
Date: Tue, 08 Jul 2003 01:50:52 -0400

Harry EschelCo-founder
and executive vice
president, fastmobile

July 7, 2003 4:35pm

So this is Nextel's successor?
When fastmobile
launched its fastchat
push-to-talk service in
May, jumping past the
carrier giants laboring
over their own PTT
technologies, many
asked that same
question. But fastmobile
is aiming at a far different
customer than the
corporate throngs using
Nextel's Direct Connect
service: They believe
fastchat meets the cool
quotient of 18- to
25-year-olds who want to
be one button-push away
from friends.

Co-founder Harry Eschel is selling the idea as a low-risk alternative to copycat
PTT solutions — as distributors of a Web-hosted service, carriers reap a monthly
check from fastmobile without having to alter their networks.

“We host the service as an ASP,” Eschel said. “Their only investment is in
integrating the services into their billing.”

Eschel knows what it takes to build a PTT platform — he met co-founder Kang Lee
while working at Motorola, Nextel's primary vendor and the cradle of the carrier's
PTT application. From there they went to Auvo Technologies, where fastmobile's
platform eventually was born. Auvo ran out of funding, but Eschel and Lee salvaged
the technology, some key investors and a few colleagues.

Now fastmobile wants to change the rules to a game that's yet to begin in
earnest.  “Push-to-talk is about to get very confusing to users faced with more
options,” Eschel said. “We want to eliminate that by saying it doesn't matter who
the carrier is.”

http://hoovnews.hoovers.com/fp.asp?layout=query_displaynews&q=NEXTEL&so=&dc=&ro=&ed=&sd=&s=1&boldtext=NEXTEL&sym=&doc_id=NR200307072500.2.11_a11b000a16660cd5

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Save up to 80% on top-quality inkjet cartridges and get your order fast!
FREE shipping on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada. Shop at Myinks.com!
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/v2G7ND/KfUGAA/ySSFAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/