Orange Readies for PTT Launch
Orange has launched a GPRS based Push to Talk service. The service is initially being trialled by business customers. Talk Now- similar to the US Push-To-Talk service will be launched in 10 countries this year, starting with the UK and France in Q2 2004. Talk Now creates an immediate connection between two or more mobile phones so minimal time is spent searching for or dialling individual telephone numbers. You can see who is available to speak or receive single or group messages instantly.
Orange expects to attract one million users to the new service in the 12 months following rollout.
Speaking at the launch, Sol Trujillo, CEO, Orange Group, said: "As we are the first to launch in the world we are offering something no other company can offer. Talk Now provides the business community with an immediate and reliable way to better manage teams of people within an organisation. It addresses a real need amongst businesses to disseminate or communicate time critical information quickly and efficiently. The service also provides consumers with an ideal way to keep in touch with friends and family by making it easy to instantly communicate with each other as a group at the touch of a button."
The launch follows Orange research into customer needs, and successful customer trials by companies including IBM and the RAC. The RAC is already actively exploring the value of instant messaging and is looking to see if this can be extended into the wireless arena. The RAC is investigating the Orange Talk Now service as a possible wireless Instant Messaging solution.
The service is scalable and will benefit from added functionality throughout the year. Talk Now will initially be available on the Orange Treo 600 - an Orange Signature phone - with further handsets announced later in Q2, including rugged devices for field-workers and consumer-style handsets.
With the added functionality that it offers, Talk Now will be offered as a premium service. Full pricing details will be available nearer commercial availability, with pricing bundles geared toward specific customer markets.
Trujillo added: "Talk Now offers a level of functionality and a feature-set that is relevant to every single one of our 47 million customers - instant access to each and every one of their family, friends and colleagues."
Kodiak Networks was selected by Orange to provide the application, after a comparison of alternative network equipment suppliers completed last year.
Kodiak concurrently announced the commercial availability of its GSM family of Real-Time Exchange (RTX) Systems applicable to the worldwide GSM wireless market. Kodiak announced the availability of its CDMA family of RTX Systems last autumn, making it the only company offering advanced voice and messaging systems that work over multiple networks.
Mr. Craig Farrill, CEO of Kodiak Networks adds, "We are delighted to have the opportunity to serve Orange as the provider for its Talk Now system. Our solution will enable Orange customers to have instant voice conversations with other individuals or groups throughout the Orange international network. This marks the first time that this kind of service over GSM is commercially available in Europe on a multi-national basis. It also is the first deployment of the GSM version of our Kodiak RTX System."
Posted to the site on 14th January 2004
