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AT&T launches pilot program for expanded push-to-talk services

Let's face it, walkie-talkies are far from glamorous, but for large and small enterprises that rely on real-time communication, the WWII artifact remains an integral part of the workday. Now, AT&T has set forth on a journey to give its push-to-talk services a modern makeover, and it's recruiting a few partners to join the quest. In addition to providing PTT-enabled smartphones, the carrier will be testing IP-based technologies that offer workflow automation for tasks such as fleet management and dispatch. Additionally, the system will also offer integration with traditional radio systems such as PMR and LMR, which means an organization won't need to transition its entire crew at once. You can find more about AT&T's hybrid communications system in the PR after the break.

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Connection in an Instant: Customers to Trial Enhanced Push To Talk Services from AT&T

Charter Program Will Allow Participants to Experience Communications on a New Level

Dallas, Texas, February 21, 2012

In today's fast-paced business world, every second counts. Communication must happen in a flash to keep an organization moving. And to help meet this need for speed, AT&T* is launching a charter program to trial a suite of enhanced push to talk (PTT) services that will take workgroup communications to the next level.

The enhanced PTT solution trial, powered by Kodiak Networks Inc. InstaPoC™ technology, will harness AT&T's mobile broadband speeds, expansive wireless network coverage, broad portfolio of devices and the power of IP-based technology. That means faster and richer collaboration, lower cost of ownership and great potential for integration with mobile applications.

In addition, AT&T is working to integrate traditional private mobile radio (PMR) systems with this enhanced PTT service trial, and will demonstrate the functionality with Raytheon JPS at the 2012 International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE). AT&T and Raytheon expect that push to talk interoperability across different networks will extend coverage of existing PMR systems and facilitate better communications for field dispatch and operations, when many people from many different organizations need to reach each other quickly.

Charter Program Details

Selected business customers in a range of industries – transportation, utilities, manufacturing and more – will get a first look at potential PTT services through AT&T's charter program.
Participants will use powerful, state of the art smartphones to test the technology.
The charter program will provide AT&T and customers with a better understanding of the potential that the enhanced PTT service can offer.
AT&T will work closely with customers participating in the program to measure results, and participants will have the opportunity to give feedback on their experiences.

Imagine how a field worker could benefit from enhanced PTT. Instead of lugging around a bag with a clipboard, a cell phone and a mobile radio, workers could carry one mobile device, complete with mobile apps and AT&T's PTT services. If an employee has a question while on the job, he or she could connect almost instantly to a supervisor – and even fill out forms on a mobile app while talking. A dispatcher could also reference PTT presence status to locate field workers quickly and assign the right employee to the task at hand.

"AT&T – with its fast LTE network, rugged device portfolio, business know-how and open approach to application development – is well-positioned to develop enhanced PTT services," said Andrew Seybold, CEO & Principal Consultant, Andrew Seybold, Inc., a consultancy focused on cellular and private mobile radio industries.

"Our customers are looking for a holistic PTT service – one that supports instant calls, numerous devices, dispatch applications and Application Programming Interfaces for developers," said Chris Hill, Vice President, Advanced Mobility Solutions, AT&T Business Solutions. "Our goal is to meet and exceed those expectations. What's more, we want to combine enhanced PTT services with an array of advanced mobility applications to build truly comprehensive solutions."

AT&T's mobility application consultants can also help charter customers craft their strategies for migration from legacy networks that are currently being phased out to AT&T's anticipated high-performance solution.

Sneak Peak into AT&T's Enhanced PTT Offer

AT&T's enhanced push to talk service charter program features:

A combination of high-performance PTT communications and mobile data services that allow users to talk and use productivity applications simultaneously
Large contact lists and groups, ideal for organizations with lots of mobile employees
Faster call setup times than traditional PTT solutions
Integration with business applications for field force automation, fleet management, dispatching, GPS tracking and more
Ability to run on a wide range of smartphones, rugged phones, feature phones and specialty devices
Interoperability with existing mobile radio systems, such as Land Mobile Radio (LMR) and Private Mobile Radio (PMR)

For more information on the AT&T enhanced PTT charter program, visit:

http://www.corp.att.com/forms/ptts/

*AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc.

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Sub-second IP Push-to-Talk for 4G LTE, 3G, Wi-Fi and Beyond

Kodiak InstaPoC™, the next-generation Push-to-Talk technology based on the latest PoC v2.0 standard, sets up calls at sub-second speeds with the dependability that wireless operators expect from Kodiak Networks.

International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE), Las Vegas, NV - Plano, TX - Kodiak Networks announces two transformative products that build upon its reputation for voice quality and reliability: Kodiak InstaPoC™, the next-generation of PoC v2.0 based Push-to-Talk (PTT) technology, and the Kodiak RTXi™, Kodiak's IP-based communication platform. InstaPoC and the RTXi together provide sub-second Push-to-Talk call set up on downloadable Android, Blackberry and Windows Mobile clients and embedded devices.

As an IP-based technology, InstaPoC provides better than mobile voice call quality when deployed on 4G LTE, 3G and Wi-Fi data networks. Additionally, it supports simultaneous voice and data activity without changes to the Radio Access Network (RAN). Downloadable applications bring PTT functionality to modern mobile operating systems and facilitate application interoperability since Kodiak InstaPoC is at the core of each PTT client. Capabilities of InstaPoC include one-to-one and one-to-many-up to 250 contacts-PTT-based communication, centralized dispatch, enterprise-class administratio, and next generation features such as availability and call alerts. . In addition to smartphones, InstaPoC can be deployed on embedded ruggedized and value phones, allowing operators to offer the most diverse and robust PTT solution on the market.

Kodiak's RTXi offers carriers a flexible and powerful new platform which represents an evolution of Kodiak's RTX-a proven 99.999% available platform operating in networks around the world for a decade. The RTXi is an extremely scalable IP based platform that features open APIs, geographic redundancy, IMS interoperation and CALEA compliance allowing operators to meet diverse network requirements and build a flexible PTT ecosystem.

"The future of wireless is IP based broadband and Kodiak's new offerings are designed to take full advantage of this future. Push-to-Talk capabilities as part of a network operator's offerings is important for those who value instant one-to-many communications and Kodiak's products are right on target." said Andrew Seybold, a leading industry analyst and CEO of Andrew Seybold, Inc.

As the first PoC v2.0 compliant offering on the market, InstaPoC is built with application interoperability in mind. Aligning to the OMA POC v2.0 standard allows operators easier deployment of new handsets, PTT accessories and 3rd party vendors' applications. Additionally, PoC v2.0 includes standardization for other media types like video, images, text and files. Many PTT enterprise users require integration of workforce management, navigation applications etc. with their PTT systems. Kodiak's adherence to the PoC v2.0 standard creates an open environment in which this can be achieved.

Primary features of InstaPoC on the RTXi platform:
Sub-second call set up and latency
Better than mobile voice call quality
Built on IP-based global PoC v2.0 standard
Works on 4G LTE, 3G and Wi-Fi technologies
Extensible open APIs
Supports one-to-one and one-to-many (groups up to 250 contacts) communication
Downloadable clients for smartphones, embedded clients for ruggedized phones
Enterprise-class administration capabilities
Next generation features like availability and call alerts
Proven platform reliability