Walkie-Talkies Now Heard From Construction Sites To College Campuses (NAPSA)—Chirp...Chirp...the distinctive sound of mobile phone walkie-talkie service, also known as push-to-talk, which enables users to instantly connect with someone by pushing a button, is afth Nee T < moving from construction sites to college campuses. Traditionally, mobile phone walkie-talkie has been a favorite feature among contractors, public safety personnel and transporta- tion workers, but the service is of young people due in part to its The push-to-talk and pay-as-yougo features are popular among growing in popularity among availability as a prepaid service, which appeals to cost-conscious consumers. Push-To-Talk Boost Mobile is the only wireless service provider to make Sprint’s national push-to-talk technology available as a pay-asyou-go feature to the youth segment. Since 2002, the company has promoted walkie-talkie technology as a cool and easy alternative for young people to instantly connect with friends. The approach appears to be paying off. In a recent survey, Boost customers—the majority of which are under the age of 26— indicated that 93 percent say they use Boost walkie-talkie and 70 percent said they use it daily. “We were as surprised as anyone to see walkie-talkie service take off in the youth segment,” said Neil Lindsay, vice president of product management for Boost Mobile. More than just an affordable means of unlimited communication, the walkie-talkie has become a cultural phenomenon among the company’s 4.3 million customers. They recognize the value of using walkie-talkie service to form a virtual calling cir- younger consumers. cle—the more friends that are a part of the chirp crowd, the greater the value.” The major wireless carriers have taken note of the growing walkie-talkie popularity among consumers and aim to offer similar services to compete. Thecarriers hope the market will expand further and are increasing their focus on push-to-talk offerings as a way to increase revenue while tapping into the more youthful demographic. Push To Send Pictures This move has prompted Boost Mobile to enhanceits service by marketing Push-to-X capabilities that enable its customers to bring the convenience of “push” to multiple applications, including push-tosend voice messages to any e-mail and push-to-send pictures or contact info. Still, the number of mobile phone walkie-talkie users remains small. In 2007, there were approximately 26 million subscribers using the most popular push-totalk technology in the world, and Boost has more than 4 million of those customersin the U.S.
