17 Feb 04

VoluBill has announced that it has extended the capability of its Dialog Control and Charging Platform (D2CP) to encompass Push To Talk (PTT) technology in readiness for mobile operators' plans to roll out services in Europe and Asia in 2004.VoluBill is introducing this capability in partnership with IndTeleSoft, a leading provider of mobile SIP solutions.

Since its launch, 'Push To Talk' (PTT) has been a significant success in the United States, with huge demand from both personal and business users for services and handsets. PTT has proven particularly popular in dispatch and light-industrial applications. Such is the popularity of PTT in the US that a study carried out by Zelos Group in Summer 2003 amongst 1300 mobile phone users found that PTT capability was second only to integrated digital cameras in the top 10 features that users wanted on their phone. Mobile operators are now training their sights on the Asian and European markets, hoping that these markets mirror that of the US in terms of take up and success.

As with any new technology, charging and billing solutions must be able to deal with every possible scenario to maximise efficiency and minimise revenue leakage. VoluBill has worked closely with IndTeleSoft to extend the capability of D2CP - VoluBill's network-based data and messaging content charging platform - to support PTT, and has developed a solution that works cooperatively but non-intrusively with the mobile operator's SIP and Push To Talk servers to provide a fully flexible PTT charging function.

Commenting on these developments, VoluBill's CEO Andre Meyer, said: "PTT technology presents several challenges for both charging and billing solutions providers. Duration or 'Speech Time' is one logical basis on which to price usage for subscribers, but this can be quite difficult for many operators to measure and get onto a bill. Together with IndTeleSoft, we are introducing a complete solution that provides a service delivery and charging capability for operators who want to implement this exciting new service."

Mr. Jawad Ayaz, CEO of IndTeleSoft, said, "We are happy to join forces with VoluBill in offering a state-of-the art solution to provide Push-To-Talk functionality. By combining IndTeleSoft's market-leading PTT Client solutions with VoluBill's leading-edge charging solutions we are able to offer service providers the kind of end-to-end solution they need to get up and working and earning revenue from this advanced service."

VoluBill provides complete charging solutions for prepaid and postpaid customers for all GPRS data and messaging services: web, email, streaming media, and now PTT.