Indian carrier Tata Teleservices is the first operator to launch a push-to-talk service based on Qualcomm Inc.’s BREWChat solution.
The technology enables person-to-person and person-to-group communication between subscribers at the push of a button, said Qualcomm.
“Offering a BREWChat-powered push-to-chat service to our subscriber base allows us to greatly augment our wireless service offering while distinguishing us from the competition,” said Amit Bose, president of telecom at Tata. “Our work with Qualcomm has opened the door to new revenue opportunities for us, and has greatly diversified the line of 3G products available to our customers.”
Tata counts 1.7 million subscribers.
Kyocera Wireless Corp. said it is providing its KX440 handset for the Indian network operator’s BREWChat offering. Kyocera noted that Tata, which offers wireless service in eight circles in India with plans for a nationwide network, placed an initial order of 300,000 handsets. Kyocera also said the KX440 model would be priced comparable with low-tier offerings from the carrier.
In addition to Kyocera, Curitel Communications and LG Electronics Co. Ltd. have promised to build BREWChat-capable devices.