With the goal to achieve seamless communication all along the business hierarchy, many businesses around the world are switching from land-mobile-radio (LMR) to push-to-talk over cellular systems and Wi-Fi. By combining the user-friendliness of walkie-talkie functionality with advanced features, such as – IP-based interoperability, GPS, auto-pairing, and flexibility for single-site or wide area coverage, these systems are now being widely used in a variety of industries. In this article, we will discuss the main drivers shaping the growth of PTT over cellular systems and Wi-Fi, the benefits they offer over the existing means of communications, and the industries which will benefit the most from these technologies.
Push-to-talk over cellular (PoC)
What is push-to-talk over cellular?
Introduced as an alternative to two-way radios, push-to-talk over cellular provides two-way radio services over 3G, 4G, and LTE technology. By creating a nationwide radio network, and leveraging the commercial mobile networks, push-to-talk over cellular provides effective communication in places where uninterrupted communication among the team members is important.
Push-to-talk over cellular can be used for one-to-one and one-to-many communications in any area where there is 3G, 4G/LTE, and 5G coverage. It can be easily set up and doesn’t involve licensing restrictions, making it a favorable medium of communication for various sectors in recent years.
Why is it becoming so popular?
In the past few years, Land Mobile Radio (LMR) has been one of the most popular mediums of communication for various industries. But as it requires a lot of monetary investment and provides only a short network range, companies started looking for a better alternative. The answer was provided by push-to-talk over cellular, which provides a wide area coverage and doesn’t require costly investment.
With the increase in mobile device usage and the availability of 3G and 4G networks, and now 5G as well, the demand for push-to-talk over cellular has also increased.
According to a study, the push-to-talk cellular market is estimated to grow at a 9.7% CAGR from 2019 through 2029.
Another study has also projected the global POC market to reach $25.5B by 2027.
Covid-19 outbreak contributed to its further growth
Covid-19 pandemic outbreak catapulted its demand even further as these devices were extensively used by the government and disaster management agencies to monitor the pandemic situation in different areas.
The growth is expected to continue even post-pandemic as the organizations function while adhering to social distancing norms.
Innovations in technology are happening at a fast rate
With the growing usage of smart mobile devices, the push-to-talk over cellular solution providers are joining hands with smart mobile device manufacturers to introduce new innovations in the PoC market. The new innovations are being developed, keeping the diverse needs of various regions and users in mind. Users across the globe will benefit from these innovations, which will be designed for diverse communication requirements.
Leading innovators in the PoC market are also developing a hi-tech authentication system to help protect individuals and businesses from data theft, identity theft, fraudulent purchases, bank fraud or any kind of security breaches. Besides, advanced technology, such as machine learning and analytics, are also being used in PoC to make this technology even safer for consumers by evaluating the potential risks.
Push-To-Talk over Wi-Fi
What is push-to-talk over Wi-Fi?
Push-to-talk over Wi-Fi technology enables instant voice and video calling in any large area with Wi-Fi network connectivity. As it uses the existing Wi-Fi network and access points throughout a facility, it is a great communication medium for businesses looking to leverage their existing Wi-Fi infrastructure.
As push-to-talk over Wi-Fi is not limited to a single location, several sites can be connected over an IP network and managed using dispatch applications. For example, a retail store may have several locations with Push-to-talk over Wi-Fi. With the help of this technology, they can have centralized call management for seamless operations.
It can also be easily integrated with a nationwide Push-to-talk over a cellular network. This means if a worker moves out of the Wi-Fi network range, the device will switch from Wi-Fi to LTE network and the worker can still stay connected with the team.
Which businesses are likely to benefit the most from these technologies?
Businesses looking for wide-area coverage with a low startup cost are most likely to benefit from these technologies. Some examples include – construction, security, healthcare, property management, hospitality, manufacturing, and many others. For many businesses, especially the ones with a smaller budget, traditional Land Mobile Radio (LMR) solutions might be too high of an investment; Push-to-talk technology provides several benefits with much lesser investment.
Manufacturing
Manufacturing requires smooth communication across teams. PTT technology ensures smooth communication throughout the entire operation, thus empowering the workforce. From the small-scale manufacturing units to the most sophisticated manufacturing companies can benefit from the Push-to-talk over mobile and Wi-Fi technology and make their operations smoother and a lot more efficient.
Transportation and Logistics
Push-to-talk technology enables real-time communication between a large group of professionals. Since Push-to-talk technology also provides real-time location tracking using GPS, wherever there is the mobile network available, PoC can be used in the transportation and logistics sector to track drivers and vehicles to ensure that they stay on the designated routes only and perform their duties well.
Travel and Hospitality
Maintaining customer satisfaction is very important for the travel and hospitality sector. To be able to provide the best services possible to the customers, the staff should be able to communicate well across various departments. Push-to-talk technology enables professionals in the travel and hospitality sector to communicate easily through real-time voice or messaging — using just one device. This helps businesses to save time and money and keep the guests happy.
Conclusion
PTT systems using cellular systems and Wi-Fi are loaded with several advanced capabilities, providing businesses the highest cellular voice communication performance. Due to its additional advantages, such as robustness, scalability, and quick response, which is not provided by other communication systems, it has become a communication medium of choice for various industries.
