Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Global walkie-talkies coming to consumer cellphones]

From: NEXTEL-1
Date: Fri, 11 Jun 2004 04:40:51 -0400

Global walkie-talkies coming to consumer cellphones

By GREG BONNELL

TORONTO (CP) -- When time is money, and a breakdown in 
communications can sink a business, the ability to connect with 
colleagues in other cities, provinces or countries with a push of a 
button is pretty appealing. 

That's why push-to-talk technology has been such a success in the 
professional world. There are no numbers to dial with this "global" 
walkie-talkie. Just push a button on your cellphone and instantly 
engage multiple team members in live conversation. 

But will the general public, whose conversations are more likely to 
revolve around where to meet for drinks or the bread-and-milk 
situation at home, want to be just one click away from friends and 
family? 

"I think, from a consumer perspective there's not an enormous 
advantage to it," said Ian Angus of Angus Telemanagement Group. 

"For most consumer purposes, the difference between a half-second 
connect and a 30-second connect is probably not awfully important," 
Angus said of the benefit that pushing one button holds over dialing 
a phone number, and then waiting for a pickup on the other end. "But 
for many business purposes, it's absolutely critical." 

The big wireless providers are hoping that the appeal for business 
will cross over into the consumer market. They're equipping consumer 
cellphones with push-to-talk in the hopes that it will boost talk-
time and the demand for new, improved handsets. 

Telus, which has long provided a premium walkie-talkie service for 
business clients with a network dubbed Mike, is planning a consumer 
version. Bell Mobility expects to enter the market this year as 
well, while Rogers Wireless is considering a 2005 launch, dependent 
on the success of a limited trial run with customers. 

South of the border, Verizon and Sprint PCS are already in the game. 

Through its partnership with U.S.-based Nextel, Mike subscribers can 
engage in walkie-talkie communication throughout Canada and the 
States. Mexico and several South America countries are expected to 
be added later this year. 

Given the speed at which technology progresses, it's not out of the 
question to envision a global walkie-talkie network. 

Far reaching, one-button communication might not be critical for the 
average person, but then again, most phone conversations are rarely 
critical. There are those among us who like to talk. 

"I can't really imagine it," said Angus of the need for push-to-talk 
outside of business situations. "But I have a teenage daughter who 
figures out a lot of reasons to just chat." 

If the price is right, perhaps $10 on top of your monthly cellphone 
bill, a consumer market in Canada for push-to-talk just might 
materialize. In the U.S., Sprint recently gave the 275,000 customers 
of its Ready Link service a rate reduction, from $15 to $10 a month. 

For those who believe that brevity is indeed the soul of wit, this 
form of communication is ideal. 

"Push-to-talk sessions tend to be less than 10 seconds," said Peter 
Rhamey, a telecom analyst with BMO Nesbitt Burns. 

"Your voice would pop up and say 'I need to know where you are, ' " 
said Rhamey. "You don't get on there and say, 'Hi, how are you?' " 

Push-to-talk strips communication down to its bare essentials. It 
dispenses with the dialing, the introductions and the niceties of 
conversation to immediately connect groups of people. 

"If you just want to say something very quickly, and you want to say 
it to them all, then the push-to-talk feature is nice," said Rhamey. 

That was precisely its appeal among media outlets, the first group 
that Angus noticed utilizing the technology. 

"Suddenly every camera crew I saw had these things, because of the 
ability to check back with the office, check with another crew," 
said Angus. "You get instant response." 

Business people, couriers and anyone who could benefit from one-
touch communication on a secure, private network -- much different 
from those radio-dispatch frequencies of old -- soon became users. 

But the question remains -- do family and friends have such a need? 

"I think there's going to be a modest consumer demand for this," 
said Rhamey, who envisions families who already use short-distance, 
two-way radios while skiing, for example, to pick up on the 
technology. 

"It will be an interesting niche. It's a niche product." 

 
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