"Push-to-talk" (PTT) is definitely as simple as it sounds. A user simply presses a button on his mobile phone and speaks. On the receiving end, the message is heard instantaneously. Traditionally, if you wanted to speak to someone via mobile phone, you would dial his number and your friend would hear the phone ring and push the "Accept" button to take your call. Although that’s the essence of what the term means, using PTT is definitely more than just a god-send for the extremely lazy.

PTT is a method of conversing on half-duplex communication lines. The system allows communication in both directions: Person A can speak to Person B and vice versa. However, the fact that the system is half-duplex means that only one party can broadcast at a particular time. Walkie-talkie communication is an example of a half-duplex system. Person A delivers his message and then indicates the end of transmission with the word "over". Person B receives the broadcast and replies in a similar way.

If you think about a conventional walkie-talkie, you’ll know that the two respective parties need to be relatively close to each other in order to communicate. A few miles apart should be fine but the idea of chatting to someone on another continent with a walkie-talkie would be quite unfeasible. A PTT call is similar to a walkie-talkie call but it has the additional advantage that contacts do not need to be within a geographically defined range of each other.

Evangelists of PTT claim that this service should be widely accepted due to three primary features: Presence, Immediacy and Group Calling. Firstly, it’s easy to see who is available to talk to via the contact list. In a manner similar to instant messaging the present capability will inform users if a person is available to talk or not. Web-savvy readers may recognise this function as similar to the "Online Contact" list available in the MSN Messenger. Secondly, connection is quick compared to standard GSM calls which take about ten or more seconds to make a connection. Finally the group calling feature will allow user to access a group of people such that all of them will be able to hear the caller simultaneously without being interrupted by other members of the group. 

The service is in fact a much more convenient and cost-efficient way of group communication. The PTT service is much cheaper compared to a conventional one-to-one mobile phone call. Subscriptions in Malaysia are provided by Maxis and are available on a daily or monthly basis. Daily subscriptions cost RM1 and last until 12am on that particular day while monthly subscriptions cost RM15.

Here are some real-life examples of PTT application: Consider a typical family shopping trip at KLCC: Your dad and mom are at Isetan’s household section; your younger sister is doing her usual patrol around MNG; your brother is trying on sneakers at Adidas; while you’re checking out some new must-reads at Kinokuniya. Your mom decides that the family should meet for tea so instead of calling her three kids individually, with a simple push of a button she informs the three of you where and when you should meet.

Imagine that you’re on a business trip in Tokyo and you need to speak to your colleagues back in Kuala Lumpur. Upon checking the contact list on your mobile phone, you find that out of seven of your team members, five have their mobiles switched on and are ready to accept calls. One button press later and your five colleagues will hear your voice asking if they’re available for a conference call. One by one they respond and they’ll be having a PTT-enabled group chat in no time at all.

PTT was first introduced in the United States around the year 2004. According to a survey conducted on desirable mobile phone features, the PTT feature was ranked second only to the camera phone function by US consumers. It was introduced by NTT DoCoMo in Japan late last year and costs 5 yen per push. Countries which provide PTT services include Thailand, Saudi Arabia, New Zealand, Australia and Brazil. Visiongain, a London-based research and consulting firm forecasts global PTT subscriber growth to hit the 300 million mark by the year 2010.

Phone models which were released some time ago such as the Nokia 7270 and 6680 were already equipped with the PTT function. Nevertheless, despite all the hype that it received in the US since 2004, it doesn’t look like the service has gained worldwide acceptance just yet.

Stefanie thinks that PTT would be great for girls who thrive on gossip as they’ll be able to spread the latest news more quickly. You can contact her at This email address is being protected from spam bots, you need Javascript enabled to view it