Europe
: Nine months after introducing the Push to Talk concept, T-Mobile
Austria is now able to look back at some very positive developments.
A huge number of business customers have been testing Push to Talk
since autumn 2004, in a test phase supported by major funding.
The
next step is the commercial launch of the system for business customers.
T-Mobile is the first and only network operator in Austria to offer
all its business customers the chance to try Push to Talk for free
until the end of the year. The infrastructure for T-Mobile Austria’s
Push to Talk solution is being provided by Nokia.
Testing since autumn 2004
generates positive feedback
"We are delighted to have received so much positive feedback
on Push to Talk," says Georg Mündl, who, as a member of
the board at T-Mobile Austria, is in charge for marketing. "This
applies to both the heavily funded real-life test phase underway since
autumn 2004 and also the successful commercial launch for business
customers. A huge number of corporate customers took part in the test
phase, companies from a wide range of industries which already make
use of radio communication and now want to extend the options available
to them by combining this with mobile communication. The aim of the
test phase was to examine once again in detail the requirements of
each customer group in terms of this new technology to enable us to
offer tailor-made product packages."
Push to Talk tested by
taxi firms and service providers on the move
As well as companies from the construction industry, users include
private taxi firms, events organisers, security companies, road maintenance
teams and other service providers who need to communicate on the move.
Josef Ofner, who owns the taxi, courier and bus service of the same
name in the city of Graz, was one of the first test customers: "Being
able to keep in touch no matter where you are is a key advantage for
me," he explains. "By using Push to Talk, you are no longer
limited by the local taxi radio system in Graz. The Push to Talk service
means that I can stay in touch with drivers even when they are outside
the city."
T-Mobile business customers
test new service for free until the end of the year
"As the first and only network operator in Austria to offer this
service, we are giving all of our business customers the chance to
try Push to Talk for free until the end of 2005 and see the benefits
for themselves," says Georg Mündl. "Push to Talk combines
a mobile phone and radio in one single end device." What’s
more, Push to Talk end devices are significantly less expensive to
buy and operate than conventional radio systems. Push to Talk can
currently be used with the Nokia 5140 and 6020, and T-Mobile will
be introducing a wide range of new end devices for the system over
the next few months."
Access GPRS in Austria
and 70 other countries around the world
One of the greatest advantages of Push to Talk is its coverage. With
this new technology, voice data is transmitted via GPRS, which means
that Push to Talk can be used in around 70 countries where T-Mobile
Austria has GPRS roaming agreements. "This is yet another example
of the benefits which the T-Mobile Group can offer its customers,"
says Georg Mündl.
Group communication at
the touch of a button - how easy is that?
For all those customers who have previously been obliged to use radio
plus an additional mobile phone, Push to Talk provides both applications
in one single device. Push to Talk allows the user to choose whether
they want to contact a whole group of people or a limited number of
individual group members.
It’s easy to set
up participant groups at any time using the phone’s menu. Once
a group has been set up, all you need to do is press the Push to Talk
button to establish a connection. Similar to a walkie-talkie, Push
to Talk allows only one group member to speak at any one time. All
members of the group can see who is "receiving" within the
defined group at any given time. If the user wants to speak to just
one person, they would simply select the appropriate person from the
group and then press the Push to Talk button to establish the connection.
