More than 300 Vodafone customers have been trialling Vodafone Push to Talk (PTT) since November last year. Due to findings from the trials, Vodafone will be targeting mobile radio communication users when it launches its PTT service next week.

Push-to-talk services enable users to conduct a walkie-talkie style conversation on their mobile either to an individual or to a group simultaneously through the push of a single button.

"The service is suited to a wide range of organisations and working environments that require instant voice communication," said Vodafone's General Manager of Business Marketing, Phil Patel. "Service, retail, and distribution based industries are the customers showing most interest. Because of this it will be especially popular with the likes of courier, taxi, limousine, car rental, transport, construction, airport, airline and logistics companies."

Some of the features included on Vodafone's Push to Talk service are:

Presence indication capabilities, allowing users to see who is available for Push to Talk calls. Special icons show the 'presence status' of everyone in a group.

User can have up to 50 groups with up to twenty people in each group.

Details and contacts stored on network, so even if the mobile is lost, the contacts on it won't be.

International Roaming based on GPRS data roaming.

Vodafone will initially be offering Push to Talk over its 2.5G (GPRS) network and will also operate over its 3G network when it is launched later this year. The company did not detail on the press information if prices will be differentiated for PTT users. Current GPRS roaming overseas are charged at NZ$30 (US$21) per megabyte.

The Motorola V303p will be the first Vodafone Push to Talk handset available at launch and will retail for NZ$699 (US$500).