The ptt function allows you to apply. Messengers with the Walkie-Talkie function (Push-To-Talk, walkie-talkie)

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Surely, many users have met this designation before. Unfortunately, some of them still don't know what is rtt on phone. Let's try to answer this question, and also briefly talk about setting it up on various telecom operators. And we'll talk about that next time.

What is the PTT function? Its use in a mobile phone

This abbreviation stands for "Push to talk", or "Press to talk." It is a special technology based on IMS. Recall that mobile communications widely use this type of connection, in which information is transmitted through channels simultaneously in 2 directions. It is also called duplex connection. In contrast, PTT assumes that information is transmitted only in one direction (half-duplex connection). In simple terms, we can either speak or listen.

Unlike more professional communication systems, Push-to-talk technology is based on the use of one of the information transmission subsystems of cellular networks in a packet manner. For example, such technology can be GPRS or 3G. In this case, speech is transmitted in the form of sequential information blocks.

So, we figured out what rtt is in the phone. Users often refer to this technology as a walkie-talkie, because its capabilities are really similar to a walkie-talkie, or walkie-talkie. However, unlike a walkie-talkie, the communication area is much larger.

We add that this technology is one of the earliest mobile telephony standards. Today it is actively used in mobile communications. Previously, to call the operator, the owner of the device held down the PTT (special button) for a few seconds. After that, he released the button and switched to a special mode. Over time, this method was replaced by more modern technology.

How do I set up the PTT function on my phone?

Today, you can contact one or more subscribers using the Push-to-talk service by simply pressing the appropriate key. At the moment, it means a special service of a mobile operator. To use it, we need a device with PTT support, as well as the provision of this service by a telecom operator. However, you don't need to know at all.

An example of an operator supporting this service is Megafon-Moscow. Its clients can communicate with each other via walkie-talkie on an unlimited basis and by paying a subscription fee of 350 rubles every month. To set up the PTT service in the network of this operator, send a message to the short number 5049 with the text "ptt" without quotes. The message is free.
You can activate the function in the Beeline-SPb network using the terminal.

The Mobicom Center operator also provides PTT mobile radio service. As part of this service, the company's customers can exchange short messages with each other by pressing a single button. To automatically set up PTT, they are invited to send a message to the short number 5049 with the text "ros" without quotes.

I would like to immediately clarify that the functionality of Walkie-Talkie or Push-To-Talk is not at all the same as sending audio messages in regular messengers.

Moreover, none of the popular instant messengers - WhatsApp, Skype, Viber, Telegram, etc. has such an opportunity.

The main advantage of PTT is the ability to listen to voice messages on a speakerphone in real time without touching the smartphone at all and at the same time be in touch with a large number of users.

1 Voxer

Unlike the applications described above, the main function of which is Push-To-Talk, and the rest is the strapping around it, in the M1 messenger Walkie-Talkie is just one of the communication options between users.

The functionality that is being added to other PTT apps as product development is already here in full, including audio and video calls, integration with SIP, voice assistants, geolocation, etc.

PTT in M1 Messenger is always at hand and works in both regular and group chats:

The main advantage of the PTT mode is that you can receive voice information without touching your smartphone.

But in some cases, for example, when the user is in a crowded place, you don’t want others to hear messages over the speakerphone, so the M1 has the ability to turn off the PTT mode.

So if someone in a group chat doesn't want to listen to PTT, they can simply turn it off but still be available for text and multimedia messages.

Similarly, in a single chat - the user can turn off this mode, but it will be available for audio and video calls.

Registration in the messenger - without a phone number, only by login-password, the email is needed only to recover the password, if the memory is good, then it can also be omitted.
In order for users to communicate with each other, one of them must send an authorization request to the other.

You can find another user by searching:

As a result, M1 Messenger eliminates the possibility of spam and listening to other people's channels, as well as the concept of public channels.

Channels are ordinary groups in which you can turn on the Walkie-Talkie mode, or you can not turn it on.

There is also no recording of PTT messages - everyone has the opportunity to send an important notification with a regular audio message, so we decided not to fill chats with a list of short PTT messages that are unlikely to be listened to later, especially if Walkie-Talkie is used in a group with a large number of users.

It should also be noted that the number of users in a group is not limited at all and there is no paid mode for any number of users.

The technology is called push-to-talk (the full name is Push-to-Talk over Cellular - PoC) and allows users to exchange voice messages. Not only two people can talk at the same time, but also a group of people. The technology supports the transmission of SMS messages, and a message can be sent to any number of subscribers at a time.

Push-to-Talk is a technology similar to walkie-talkie but for mobile networks such as GSM or CDMA. This service was created for the GSM standard, and there will be no competition with DECT, since DECT networks are purely local. But Push-to-Talk trunking networks can just compete if it is designed as a standard. At one time, Ericsson offered a private GSM-Pro solution, but it did not take root precisely for this reason. Understanding these prospects of the new technology, Ericsson, Motorola and Siemens announced the start of full-scale testing of Push-to-Talk technology in Europe.

Push-to-Talk services have already gained popularity in the US, in no small part due to attractive rates - some companies allow you to communicate without time limits for just a few dollars a month. How much European Orange, which recently launched PTT in its network, will charge from its customers is still unknown. In the US, the most popular PTT service is offered by Nextel. In its network, voice routing is carried out in the packet switching mode - the voice message is divided into packets, sent to the subscriber and already in his device is restored from individual packets. True, the PTT function was planned in the Nextel network from the very beginning, which made it possible to provide very inexpensive forwarding of PTT voice messages. Orange has a different situation: the Talk Now service operates "on top" of the GSM network and is implemented in the form of switching not packets, but channels - a separate channel is opened for each communication session, which remains open until the end of the call. This is likely to increase the cost of such a service. PTT calls can also be made over the Internet using phones that implement standard packet switching. However, in this case, it takes time for the initial download of the software, and communication drops are more likely, since packet forwarding over the Internet is less reliable than through Nextel's own network.

The main method of voice communication for cellular networks is switching communications. This is a mechanism familiar to everyone that provides a connection by dialing the subscriber's number on the numeric keypad. However, there are other ways to contact by mobile phone. One of them (and the earliest) is Push To Talk (PTT). This method was developed and implemented before the ubiquity of the current methods of communication.

Push To Talk is, in a broad sense, not only a type of voice communication, but also the very principle of the subscriber's actions. The phrase translates as "press to speak." However, in modern times, this term usually means a protocol for voice communication over a packet (Internet) network. The voice is broadcast in the form of regular packet data over IP protocol from one subscriber to another.

An earlier form of PTT, carrier-based communication (as in the early days of wired telephones or pagers), fell into disrepair in the 1980s but is still occasionally used in developing countries such as India. The material is devoted to the first option of using the service (voice services over IP), currently used by European operators.

PTT features

• Thanks to the use of Internet channels, voice traffic is not consumed. Depending on the operator, only the package traffic fee (megabytes) or the daily subscription fee is charged. This allows you to save on communication at the high cost of a minute of a regular telephone conversation.
• The signal in Push To Talk is half duplex. This means that only voice transmission or voice reception can be active at one time, but not both. This principle is very similar to a walkie-talkie.
• PTT technology allows you to communicate with a whole group of subscribers, while simultaneously transmitting your words to all of them. This approach is also similar to a walkie-talkie: all users tuned to the same frequency can hear the voice of the speaker.
• Despite using the standard IP protocol, push to talk usually requires an operator-level organization. You can do without it, but in this case, restrictions are imposed (for example, the need for specific software for a smartphone).

Which carriers support Push To Talk

In Russia, the service was launched in 2004. Beeline began providing it to subscribers in St. Petersburg. The Moscow subscribers of MegaFon were the next to be able to test PTT. Other providers never implemented the service.

Of the Ukrainian operators, the PTT service is supported by all market players. Kyivstar was the first to conduct it, back in 2006. Following him, MTS joined (then still UMS, and now Vodafone). The third and last was Life.

Of the Belarusian operators, no one was interested in the service (or they were interested, but realized that the classic version is more profitable). In Kazakhstan, the operator Kazakhtelecom only in 2014 began to test PTT, and only for corporate subscribers. In Georgia, Magticom introduced Push To Talk for subscribers back in 2004.

In general, Europe was not the best market for Push To Talk. In the US, the popularity of the service turned out to be much greater, and local operators (Sprint, AT & T and others) at one time actively provided it. But by 2010, demand for PTT had also declined there.

Which phones support Push To Talk

In the era of Push To Talk development, almost all Nokia phones, part of the Motorola and Siemens lineups were distinguished by its support. Symbian smartphones that were not equipped with Push To Talk support out of the box acquired it using a small application. But by the time of the advent of the reign of Android and iOS, the “mobile walkie-talkie” was becoming rarer and rarer.

As you can see, the decline in the popularity of PTT began during the introduction of 3G by cellular operators and the widespread distribution of unlimited cable Internet on PCs. Messengers such as Skype, which allow you to talk completely free of charge (in limited tariffs, you had to pay only for traffic), did not allow Push To Talk to occupy a significant niche in the market. The service's lower profitability for operators, along with the proliferation of on-net minutes bundles, has also hampered its popularity.

As of 2016, Push To Talk is "more dead than alive". Operators continue to provide the service (and accept payment for it), but the list of supported devices is narrowing all the time (due to the natural aging of 6-12-year-old models and their replacement by new ones).

On Android smartphones, a universal PTT application with support for operator services has not yet appeared. But Zello's "mobile walkie-talkie" has gained popularity, working with its own servers. Thanks to its free and versatility (works on Android, iOS, Windows Phone, BlackBerry OS), it left no chance for the operator's Push To Talk and became its natural successor.

VimpelCom and Nokia summed up the results of the test operation of the new technology

The range of services provided to cellular subscribers is constantly expanding: GPRS, MMS, WAP, ... In the struggle for the market, Russian operators are looking for new areas to develop.

The variety of services in Russian GSM networks, apparently, will soon be replenished with an interesting novelty - push-to-talk, which allows you to use your mobile phone as a walkie-talkie.

Push-to-Talk (PTT) technology, implemented on the basis of GPRS, allows you to communicate with a whole group of interlocutors at the same time at the touch of a button. The ability to call only one subscriber is also supported. At the same time, if the radio operates, as a rule, in a rather limited area, then Push-to-Talk subscribers have the opportunity to use the service not only throughout the operator's network, but also in other networks of companies that support GPRS roaming with the operator providing PTT.

The first Russian mobile operator to announce its intention to launch Push-to-Talk in May of this year was the company that owns the Bee Line trademark. Already in July, a project of VimpelCom companies was launched, and "Taxi Blues" on trial operation of PTT in real conditions. As part of the project, the Push-to-Talk service, implemented in the Bee Line GSM network based on the Nokia platform, was tested by Taxi Blues drivers for a month.

On July 29, 2004, a press conference was held in Moscow following the results of the past test operation of Push-to-Talk, at which representatives of VimpelCom, Nokia and Taxi Blues spoke about the new technology and the advantages of using it.

In the photo from left to right: Mikhail Umarov - Director of Public Relations at VimpelCom OJSC, Tamaz Shapatava - General Director of Taxi Blues, Stanislav Borisov - Nokia Senior Sales and Marketing Manager, Ilya Chilikin - Nokia New Products Specialist, Yuri Antonov is the head of the product management service at VimpelCom OJSC.

The main difference between Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) and traditional telephony is well illustrated by the following example:

The Push-to-Talk service is intended primarily for the transmission of short messages, which, in most cases, do not exceed 5-10 seconds, Push-to-Talk communication is a background activity, the transfer of information that is of an "explosive" nature (between sending several messages, as a rule, there is a long pause), network resources are used only for sending messages.

The Push To Talk service is aimed at both corporate clients - courier services, transportation companies, construction organizations, and the mass market. The features of the walkie-talkie, which provide the ability to contact several people at the same time, are designed to save not only time, but also money.

Push-to-Talk positioning is carried out by Nokia specialists as follows:

Thus, it is understood that Push-to-Talk occupies an intermediate position between voice messaging and traditional telephony.

Push-to-Talk is an additional service in GSM networks, which has its own characteristics, including such important parameters as:

• call delay, that is, the delay in establishing a connection to send a message (a more critical parameter for the user);
• delay in the transmission of information, that is, the delay in receiving a response from the subscriber.

The results of studies provided by Nokia showed that PTT subscribers do not feel much discomfort if the above parameters are within 1.5 - 1.7 seconds, respectively. and 4 - 4.3 sec.

Both parameters largely depend on specific conditions: network settings, number of subscribers, etc. It is assumed that over time the technology will improve, the delay time will decrease and possibly reach 1.5 seconds.

Here is another important slide presented at the conference by Nokia:

“We are confident that the Push-to-Talk service will be in demand on the Russian market. Starting this year, the PTT service has been actively promoted on the global market, and our company has been successfully cooperating with leading GSM operators, based on the most modern technologies and rich experience in working with mobile services,” said Stanislav Borisov, Nokia Senior Sales and Marketing Manager . At the moment, the company has already 15 commercial contracts.

Ilya Chilikin, a specialist in new Nokia products, spoke about mobile phones that support Push-to-Talk.

Nokia 5140- Nokia's first GSM phone with Push-to-Talk support. A tri-band (EGSM 900, GSM 1800/1900) phone with a VGA camera, a compass, optional GPS support and even a built-in Fitness Coach application is aimed primarily at outdoor enthusiasts and is already available on the Russian market.

In addition to Nokia 5140, the new feature will be supported by the end of this year by models Nokia 6260 and Nokia 6170. Considering that the PTT function can be not only pre-installed in the device, but also installed as an application on a phone implemented on the Series 60 platform, the line of models supporting PTT is expanding. Such devices are, for example, Nokia 6600, 6630 and 7610 .

Nokia predicts a rise in the popularity of Push-to-Talk-enabled models, with the company planning to introduce handsets with push-to-talk this year and next. In particular, an announcement was made at the press conference that by the end of 2004 four more new PTT terminals would be on sale. Push-to-Talk is expected to come in entry-level models. In the middle of next year, budget Push-to-Talk devices may appear on sale. Starting in 2005, all Push-to-Talk devices will be compatible with OMA standards.

But let's leave for the time being the consideration of the prospects of Push-to-Talk, let's go directly to the test operation itself, which Tamaz Shapatava, CEO of Taxi Blues, spoke about.

So, as we have already said, the new Push-to-Talk technology was tested by drivers of the Taxi Blues company, which has been providing its services for more than 10 years. This choice was not made by chance. Ordinary taxi drivers who are not familiar with high technologies, but who have sufficient experience in working with radio communications, were specially selected as the first testers in order to objectively assess the quality and convenience of the new service.

During the month of operation, the test group, consisting of 15 people, including the dispatcher, used the Push-to-Talk service from Nokia 5140 phones in the Bee Line GSM network.

According to Tamaz Shapatava, the new product was liked by the drivers who tested it, who in a few hours got used to Push-to-Talk and began to use the device no less than a conventional walkie-talkie.

As the main advantages of Push-to-Talk compared to trunking, which is usually used by taxi drivers, Tamaz Shapatava noted simplicity and ease of use, good communication quality, the possibility of both collective and individual calls, the ability for any user to create new groups of subscribers. In addition, Push-to-Talk has a wider coverage area compared to trunking, there are no failures on the air due to an attempt to simultaneously connect several drivers to the line at once (the system queues calls).

The fly in the ointment was the Push-to-Talk delay when establishing a connection to send a message: in a trunked connection, the session is established faster. But, as Mr. Shapatava said, you quickly get used to these delays, and Stanislav Borisov added that such a delay is not critical for this service.

Regarding failures in the Push-to-Talk service based on GPRS, the director of a taxi company made the following comment: “It happens that walkie-talkies fail. In this case, we had to equip drivers with cell phones. Now we get two of these devices in one.

During the test operation, the inconvenience of using the Nokia 5140 terminal by the dispatcher was revealed. It would be more convenient for Taxi Blues dispatchers to use the device with a large-sized tangent (button), which would be easy to press.

So, the conducted test operation showed that the new solution works and works well. Push-to-Talk certainly has prospects, especially if budget PTT terminals are released, companies are ready to develop the service in accordance with customer needs.

According to representatives of VimpelCom, Push-to-Talk is currently being tested with various suppliers. The company plans to announce a tender to select a solution provider. It is expected that by the end of this year - the beginning of the next Push-to-Talk service will be available in commercial operation.

The issue of tariffication of the new service has not yet been resolved. The choice will be made from three options:

1. monthly subscription fee;
2. payment for traffic volume;
3. time payment.

It is likely that customers will be offered several payment methods. Yuri Antonov, head of product management at VimpelCom, did not hide the fact that there is no 100% guarantee for GPRS, but the company does its best to ensure its quality at an acceptable level. In any case, you need to take into account that Push-to-Talk is not oriented for use in business negotiations. Push-to-Talk is positioned as a convenient service for exchanging informational messages, for which a delay of 2 - 3 seconds is not critical.

Push-to-Talk seems to have rather high expectations. Let's see if the new service can justify them.