Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Verizon to launch a 'walkie- talkie'

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 13 Aug 2003 21:26:26 -0400

Verizon to launch a 'walkie- talkie'
By Jonathan Moules in New York
Published: August 14 2003 1:00 | Last Updated: August 14 2003 1:00

In what might appear to other nations a step backwards in wireless communications,

Verizon Wireless, the largest US carrier, will on Monday launch a mobile phone
that
can also make walkie-talkie calls.

The "push-to-talk" service, which requires a special handset from Motorola,
enables
callers to connect instantly with one of a list of up to 10 friends by pressing a
button on
the side of the phone.

In spite of looking like a throwback to pre-cellular days, "push-to-talk" has been
an
enormous hit in the US and is set to be one of the biggest competitive
battlefields for
the six national carriers. Sprint PCS, the fourth-largest player, is expected to
launch a
push-to-talk service this year.

Verizon Wireless's goal is to mirror the success of Nextel Communications, a
smaller
maverick US carrier that pioneered "push-to-talk", whose "Direct Connect" handsets

were first popular among building site workers and cab drivers but have since
gained
more widespread appeal with families and teenagers.

Verizon Wireless, whose move was expected, wants to increase its share of business

customers, which Nextel has been particularly successful at attracting.

However, Denny Strigl, president and chief executive of Verizon Wireless, said in
a
recent interview with the Financial Times that he did not just want to take
Nextel's
business. "We are interested in expanding this marketplace, not just stealing
customers from someone else," Mr Strigl said.

As an initial incentive, Verizon Wireless will give unlimited free calling for
life on its
walkie-talkie service for customers signing up to a group plan before the end of
the
year.

Nextel said on Wednesday it believed that Verizon Wireless' service would be
inferior
to its own with unacceptably long delays between push-to-talk calls.

http://news.ft.com/servlet/ContentServer?pagename=FT.com/StoryFT/FullStory&c=StoryFT&cid=1059479004208

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