Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Is PTT Too Cumbersome for Consumers?

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 02 Oct 2003 11:19:53 -0400

Is PTT Too Cumbersome For Consumers?

Sue Marek,
Senior Editor
Wireless Week

October 1, 2003

Push-to-talk services have garnered a lot of attention recently as operators
rush to launch PTT offerings that mimic Nextel Communications
walkie-talkie-like service that has existed for more than a decade. Verizon
Wireless, of course, was the first to take the jump with its PTT service
that launched in August, but others are expected to follow either later this
year or early in 2004.

Like Nextel, Verizon's PTT service is directed primarily to the enterprise
market (at $20 per month premium over the company's current America's Choice
offering, this price will likely attract primarily business users), but some
of the other carrier offerings are expected to chase after the consumer
market. Nextel's Boost Mobile service already has done a fairly good job of
tapping the youth market. As of the end of June, Boost had about 140,000
subscribers to its prepaid PTT offering, which is available in only
California and Nevada.

Despite Boost's success with the youth market, I think business users will
remain the most attractive base for push-to-talk services. PTT is a
different type of communication, one that is much too cumbersome for
anything other than short, concise messages back and forth, such as giving
and receiving orders or brief status updates. In other words, the type of
back-and-forth communications that is necessary for workers is perfect for
PTT but not for most friends and families.

For the past few weeks the editorial staff at Wireless Week has been testing
both Verizon's PTT service and Nextel's Nationwide Direct Connect. After
using both services to chat back and forth with my colleague in Washington,
D.C., I found myself longing for a regular phone connection.

Granted, if my colleague and I just wanted to exchange short messages such
as what sources we were talking to for an article, PTT was fine. In the
past, Wireless Week editorial staff had great success using Nextel's Direct
Connect service at trade shows to coordinate coverage for the Wireless Week
Show Daily. The service allowed editors in the newsroom to immediately and
easily access reporters, photographers and other staff members, whether they
were in meetings on the show floor or in conference rooms.

But for any type of more interpersonal communications, forget it. When
speaking with my colleague, I frequently forgot to push the button on the
side of the handset before I spoke and had to repeat myself, which became
frustrating. In addition, PTT doesn't offer much in the way of privacy. Not
only could bystanders hear my end of the conversation, they also could hear
my colleague's response, too. Parents may like that feature, but I can't
imagine privacy-conscious teens wanting their conversations broadcasted to
those around them. Much of the popularity of SMS among teens stems from
their ability to text message inconspicuously and in private.

Analysts say teens and families likely will find the Group Call option
appealing because it allows several family members or a group of friends to
chat at once. But at $20 per month premium over existing rate plans, I don't
expect many families to embrace that option.

Much of PTT's success with the consumer market will depend on consumers
buying service from the same carrier (at least until PTT interoperability
among carriers becomes a reality, something many experts think is a long way
into the future). In addition, all parties must have PTT-enabled phones,
which currently are pretty scarce. Until interoperability exists between
carriers and more handsets become available, I see PTT as strictly a
business application. But even if interoperability challenges are overcome,
consumer use of PTT will be limited, at best.

After all, short, concise communications may be functional for the work
environment, but among friends and family, that kind of speaking is usually
considered quite dysfunctional.

© 2003, Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All
Rights Reserved.

http://www.wirelessweek.com/index.asp?layout=articlePrint&articleID=CA326396

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