I spoke with Marc Seelenfreund, CEO of Siyata Mobile Inc., a push-to-talk player. Think of them like Nextel on steroids. You remember Nextel. They were the PTT company that flourished in the business marketplace, then suddenly disappeared. Since that time, carriers like AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless and Sprint are all in the PTT business. However, PTT handset choices are limited. That’s where Siyata Mobile enters the picture.
It turns out, push-to-talk is still needed by the business world. They want to connect with many workers at once. PTT lets them create groups and all they need to do it push-to-talk to the entire group. This saves time and increases efficiency of the entire organization. That’s why wireless carriers offer the service. One problem, in the smartphone world, the ordinary PTT handset isn’t attractive to many users.
Executives of so many companies were complaining about the available handsets and talked with Seelenfreund trying to get help. He spent time researching the problem and developing solutions and launched Siyata Mobile several years ago.
One problem is, in this iPhone/Android world, workers don’t want to carry a voice-only device. So, Siyata Mobile developed a sturdy Android-based device that lets users stay connected using both PTT and traditional wireless. And since the handsets are Android devices, it lets users have access to all their apps.
AT&T, Verizon, Sprint offer PTT
Seelenfreund says these handsets are not ordinary Android devices. They are a solid device that can withstand the heat or cold of a truck. Noise canceling is another attractive feature making speaking and hearing much easier.
Since this is an Android device, it operates using 3G and 4G and works as well as other Android devices in the market today. However, it also offers PTT, which may make them the only handset maker in that space.
So, think of this as PTT 2.0. Something businesses have been clamoring for. Siyata Mobile operates in several countries and already works with 9 major cellular operators and their dealers including Telus, Bell and Rogers in Canada. They have operations in Montreal and Israel.
I would think wireless carriers like AT&T, Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile would be interested in talking with them. So, it will be interesting to watch their progress moving forward. Their next step seems to be moving into the US marketplace, so that may happen. For now, let me welcome them to the US marketplace. Wireless is a fast-paced industry to be sure.
