Nextel breaks push-to-talk ground
Nextel Communications Inc., Nextel Partners and Motorola have announced that Nationwide Direct Connect has begun its national rollout.
By the end of June, more than 50 percent of the markets supported by Nextel and Nextel Partners will be enabled for Nationwide Direct Connect service.
Nextel plans to make this nationwide service available in all of its coverage areas, including Hawaii.
Among the first Nextel markets to offer customers this service are New England, Florida and southern California.
By mid-June, New York, Baltimore, Washington, D.C., Virginia, the Pacific Northwest, northern California and Atlanta also are expected to be included.
Nextel customers in these markets will be able to connect in less than a second between any of the cities within these areas, simply by using the push-to-talk button located on the side of every Motorola phone offered by Nextel.
The first phase of Nationwide Direct Connect, initially announced in January, allows Nextel users to travel with the Direct Connect service and connect with anyone local to the area to which they have traveled, as well as with any other Nextel customers who have traveled with them.
Customers have various pricing options for Nationwide Direct Connect:
- Unlimited Nationwide Direct Connect for $10 per month
- Unlimited Nationwide Direct Connect plus Two-Way Text Messaging for $15 per month
- Pay-as-you-go pricing