Procall in digital push-to-talk biz

Procall, a decade-old firm of Essel Group focussed on analog public mobile radio trunking services, has announced the commercial launch of its digital push-to-talk (PTT) service in Bangalore on Thursday.

Powered by Motorola's Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN) technology, Procall's digital PTT offers B2B communication solutions by providing end-users unlimited group conversation at the push of a button for a fixed monthly rental. Digital PTT service, in other words, is an upgraded version of the walkie-talkie which provides for instant one-to-many connectivity.

The PTT two-way radio communication, powered by iDEN, has been in use across several networks in 37 countries and has over 29 million subscribers. It is being used extensively in the ITôITeS, construction industry and large business houses.

Announcing the launch in India, Procall CEO K Satyanarayana said the company is rolling out the product in Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi in the first phase with an investment of Rs 600 crore.

In the second phase, the cities that will be covered are Kolkata, Pune, Hyderabad and Chennai and the investments will be around Rs 400-450 crore. Funds will be raised from banks, private equity firms and internal accruals, he said. Procall presently has a topline of Rs 10 crore and has tied up borrowings to the tune of Rs 200 crore from a clutch of banks based on corporate guarantees from a few Essal group firms.

Essal Group has committed an investment of close to Rs 80 crore to kick-start the foray. On the working of the technology, Satyanarayana said iDEN is based on a time division multiple access (TDMA) with a city-specific mobile switch office (MSO) connected to sites through fibre optic cables or microwave back haul.

Each iDEN handset combines the capabilities of a digital wireless phone, two-way radio communication with instant group talk features, integrated assisted GPS, advanced messaging services, barcode scanners and e-mail services.

"The users do not have to dial any STD codes to interact, they just have to push the button to talk irrespective of where the person receiving the message is located," Satyanarayana said.

The distinct features of iDEN handsets are the 'push to panic' and 'push to monitor' options. The push-to-panic facility allows a user who is in distress to just push the button to reach fellow users in the group for help.

Similarly, the push to monitor facility enables users to obtain images of their workplace even when on vacation, Satyanarayana explained.