Browse Definitions :
Definition

Push to Talk (PTT)

Push to talk (PTT), is a means of instantaneous communication commonly employed in wireless cellular phone services that uses a button to switch a device from voice transmission mode to voice reception mode. The operation of phones used in this way is similar to "walkie talkie" use. PTT switches a phone from full duplex mode, where both parties can hear each other simultaneously, to half duplex mode, where only one party can speak at one time. Multiple parties to the conversation may also be included.

All major wireless carriers are rolling out versions of the service, which has been in wide use by Nextel (using the Integrated Digital Enhanced Network, or iDEN ) in the telecommunications and construction industries for years. These new versions of PTT, sometimes described as "Push To Talk over Cellular" (PoC), are based on 2.5G or 3G packet-switched networks using a form of VoIP based upon SIP and RTP protocols instead of iDEN. While current standards only allow users to talk to others within proprietary cell phone networks, future cooperation between companies and agreement on standards may allow interoperability between handsets on differing carriers.

Traditionally, a major attraction to consumers and businesses using PTT is the ability to communicate on-demand without using allotted minutes within a calling plan. This incentive may diminish as carriers adjust pricing structures to include PTT in data plans or in regular minute counts.

Early mobile telephony also used a form of PTT in the 1980s. Similar to operator-assisted landline telephone services of the early 20th century, mobile telephone users would press and hold a PTT button for several seconds to alert an operator. When the user released the button, an operator would then ask for the number the user wished to dial. The user would then transmit back and tell the operator the desired number, after which the operator would subsequently connect the wireless phone to the number desired.

This was last updated in January 2011
Networking
  • voice over LTE (VoLTE)

    Voice over LTE (VoLTE) is a digital packet technology that uses 4G LTE networks to route voice traffic and transmit data.

  • ONOS (Open Network Operating System)

    Open Network Operating System (ONOS) is an OS designed to help network service providers build carrier-grade software-defined ...

  • telematics

    Telematics is a term that combines the words telecommunications and informatics to describe the use of communications and IT to ...

Security
  • three-factor authentication (3FA)

    Three-factor authentication (3FA) is the use of identity-confirming credentials from three separate categories of authentication ...

  • cyber espionage

    Cyber espionage (cyberespionage) is a type of cyber attack that malicious hackers carry out against a business or government ...

  • role-based access control (RBAC)

    Role-based access control (RBAC) is a method of restricting network access based on the roles of individual users within an ...

CIO
  • project charter

    A project charter is a formal short document that states a project exists and provides project managers with written authority to...

  • leadership

    Leadership is the ability of an individual or a group of people to influence and guide followers or members of an organization, ...

  • transaction

    In computing, a transaction is a set of related tasks treated as a single action.

HRSoftware
  • employee engagement

    Employee engagement is the emotional and professional connection an employee feels toward their organization, colleagues and work.

  • talent pool

    A talent pool is a database of job candidates who have the potential to meet an organization's immediate and long-term needs.

  • diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)

    Diversity, equity and inclusion is a term used to describe policies and programs that promote the representation and ...

Customer Experience
  • sales development representative (SDR)

    A sales development representative (SDR) is an individual who focuses on prospecting, moving and qualifying leads through the ...

  • service level indicator

    A service level indicator (SLI) is a metric that indicates what measure of performance a customer is receiving at a given time.

  • customer data platform (CDP)

    A customer data platform (CDP) is a type of software application that provides a unified platform of customer information that ...

Close