Does anyone remember walkie-talkies? Not so long ago, this technology - which was widely used in military, construction, and municipal applications - migrated into the world of telecommunications. One of the large carriers of cellular traffic - I won't name names but you most likely know who it is - had a huge "push to talk" service, which has within the last couple of years been shut down and its spectrum freed up for 3G and 4G service.
 |
| Walkie-talkie. |
Lo and behold, "push to talk" is making a resurgence. When you think about it, it does make an awful lot of sense in certain applications. To get a better understanding, one simply has to look at it as a group text or e-mail but using the voice network. In essence, one big continuous conference call. Several utilities and carriers are using "push to talk" or land mobile radio as it's also called, for internal uses in project builds or disaster recovery. It is much easier to communicate and collaborate if everyone is available and focused on the situation rather than attempting to make multiple calls or bridge onto an existing call. In addition, the technology has improved so that the equipment used does not resemble shoe boxes held next to your head.
PTT, as it is now known, has become more popular for general mainstream usage and all of the large carriers have service offerings. This service is now available as an app for your smartphone!
We seem to be more and more connected to each other on an immediate need basis and soon enough, we might all be using PTT as we communicate with our families and co-workers rather than using texts and e-mails. I'm sure our kids will still find a way not to respond though...
-Suzanne Beck
VP Business Development
Telecom Solutions - Telamon Corporation
No comments:
Post a Comment