Push To Talk services launched in UAE

Dubai: Push To Talk services have been formally launched in the UAE.

Emirates Telecommunications Corp (Etisalat) yesterday announced the completion of the trial phase and the commercial launch of the service.

PTT has been available on a test basis since Gitex 2005, and since then more than 87,000 cell phone users have signed up for the service. The service is now available to any Etisalat cell phone subscriber with a suitably-equipped Nokia cell phone, the corporation said yesterday.

Mohammad Al Fahim, Executive Vice-President- Marketing, Etisalat, said: "Push To Talk is internationally a new service, and we are happy to bring it to the UAE. Being one of the first operators in the region to launch this service required a significant amount of realtime testing, and we are pleased with the outcome.

"Customers and businesses can now benefit from the instant one-to-one and the one-to-many communication options now open." Any active cell phone account on the Etisalat network with a suitably-equipped Nokia cell phone can sign up for this service.

There are various packages available for business customers to choose from, based on usage and requirements. Individual users can register for the service by calling 101, by sending SMS (r ptt to 1010) or by visiting any Etisalat Business Centre. Business customers will need to visit an Etisalat Business Centre to apply for or activate the service.

How it works

This service is of particular benefit to companies with field executives or those that need to coordinate between diverse locations. By pressing a button, a message can be transmitted between PTT-enabled Nokia mobile phones in a group, which will sound through the mobile phone's loudspeaker.

The PTT service enables people to keep in touch with one or many people instantly. By simply pressing a button and speaking into the phone, the message is played through the loudspeaker of all the PTT- enabled mobile phones on the sender's predefined list. The service would prove particularly helpful in situations where there is a need to occasionally but repeatedly exchange short messages with the same people.