SaskTel has announced a collaboration with Kodiak Networks, a Texas-based provider of sub-second IP-based push-to-talk services, for their upcoming PTT rollout.
The Saskatchewan-based network provider follows Bell and TELUS into the HSPA+ PTT era, migrating users away from its CDMA-based 10-4 service.
Kodiak is the company powering Bell’s IP-based PTT network as well, which has recently expanded its device selection beyond select BlackBerry and Galaxy devices to alao include the iPhone. According to a press release, SaskTel chose Kodiak due to its “sub-second call set up and a robust PTT feature set.”
To expedite the migration, SaskTel is waiving upgrade fees for its current CDMA-based PTT subscribers. Because SaskTel’s network covers nearly every citizen of the province, the company says this is a far more future-proof choice.
Like other carriers, SaskTel is launching PTT on the Samsung Galaxy Rugby LTE, and will roll out to select Sonim devices over the coming months.
It’s interesting that both Bell and TELUS have at one time or another been reticent to discuss, likely for business reasons, who their PTT partner happens to be. Bell has admitted its partner is Kodiak, whose rollout is likely identical to that of SaskTel, but TELUS’s partner for its Link service is still under wraps.
[source]SaskTel[/source]
