Subject: [NEXTEL-1] EXCLUSIVE: Sprint PCS pushes instant voice into beta

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 09 Aug 2003 07:00:21 -0400

EXCLUSIVE: Sprint PCS pushes instant voice into beta

August 8, 2003
By: Kirk Laughlin
America's Network Weekly

NEW YORK - Sprint PCS's new push-to-talk solution, Ready Link, entered into beta
trial this week as the carrier began final preparation for a nationwide launch of
the service later this year, according to Sprint executives.

The real-time voice communication service will utilize Voice over IP (VoIP),
enabling as many as six callers to participate in a single conversation, according
to Donna Vestuti, a technical applications manager at Sprint PCS, who detailed the
new service at a wireless conference held here Tuesday by the Wall Street
Technology Association.
"Our first client assessments began this week," said Vestuti, who noted the
upcoming launch will be supported by two new handsets - a flip-phone and a
ruggedized device.

Virtually all of the nation's top tier carriers are believed to be developing
push-to-talk solutions, but Sprint PCS and Verizon Wireless appear to be closest
to commercialization. Industry sources say Verizon Wireless appears likely to
introduce the service in the next few weeks, followed by Sprint PCS.

"It doesn't really matter to us whether we are second or third to market.  We just
want to make sure we get our nationwide push-to-talk right," said SprintPCS
spokesperson Dan Wilinksy. Nextel, currently the nation's only push-to-talk
provider, recently upgraded its Direct Connect service to enable instantaneous
voice connections across the country.

Nextel executives have repeatedly charged that rival carriers will not be able to
match the performance of Direct Connect, which is used by 90% of Nextel's
subscriber base of 13 million users. They say that "hang time", or the period
between activating a connection and actually making the connection, will be
noticeably longer among competitors.

At this point, SprintPCS is not revealing any details about performance.  "We're
not going to get into a war of claims with any carrier," said Wilinksy.  Although
Nextel's push-to-talk solution has thrived in field service, construction and
other vertical industries, SprintPCS and other carriers are hopeful that the
service will successfully cross-over into the mobile mainstream. "We believe there
is a market for a circle of friends and family," said Wilinksy.

http://www.americasnetwork.com/americasnetwork/article/articleDetail.jsp?id=66041

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