TSSG Attracts Tornado to Waterford
06-47-2004
By: Margaret Greene
Push-to-talk, a new growth area in mobile phone technology does exactly what it says. By pressing a button on your phone you can connect to other mobile phone users, in much the same way as you would use a walkie-talkie. The difference is that with Push-to-talk you have an unlimited range because you're using your mobile phone network to connect to other users. A recent report from the Yankee Group has predicted that Push-to-talk revenue will reach EUR1.6 billion per year by 2008 in Western Europe. It also predicts that consumers will take over from business users as the most significant customer group.
To harness some of this revenue Mobile Tornado, a company backed by EUR10 million in private equity and chaired by John Swingewood, the former head of new media at BskyB has chosen Ireland as its headquarters and research base and will hire up to 30 people to develop walkie-talkie type applications for mobile phones.
The international headquarters will be located in Dublin's Digital Hub and the company will open two R&D centres, one in Dublin and another in Waterford.
According to a Mobile Tornado spokesperson Ireland's capability in the area of software development was an important reason for the company to locate here. And the reason they chose Waterford, as a location for one of the research facilities was the Telecommunications Software and Systems Group (TSSG), under the directorship of Dr. Willie Donnelly, which is located at Waterford Institute of Technology. Dr. Donnelly, a recognised authority in the world of mobile telecommunications is keen to see a move towards the implementation of agreed standards in this new branch of mobile communications.
"The requirement for an accepted standard for Push-to-talk mobile phone technology is obvious," commented Dr. Donnelly. "Without a clear, comprehensive and industry supported specification there is a strong risk of poor or little interoperability, large variations in both service offerings and quality, and inevitably market fragmentation."
With Push-to-talk users can make calls to both individuals and talk groups with just a push of a key. The technology's applications include providing instant communication to groups such as construction teams, medical teams, dispatchers, police and military personnel. Mobile Tornado will develop applications on top of the technology to boost its popularity in the corporate sector.
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