New World kicks off walkie-talkie offer to hit rivals

The service, which essentially turns the mobile phone into a walkie-talkie, will be targeted at the youth segment, as well as business executives. Like instant messaging, it enables users to see who is available to talk through icons featured on push-to-talk enabled mobile phones. Melanie Lee, marketing director at NWM, said: "It's one-to-one communication or one-to-many. You can have 10 or more people talking at one time and the charges are affordable. In the US, this service has been hugely popular and Nextel has succeeded in getting businesses to sign up. "We know that teens love walkie-talkies and the concept has really taken off in Hong Kong and Japan. We have also had success in reaching the youth market in the past." However, handsets are likely to be an issue. While New World Mobility intends to offer four Nokia models for the service when it launches it on September 20, mobile phone users will need to be persuaded to trade in old handsets for those enabled with push-to-talk software. Thomas Meyer, director of Wunderman Mobile, said: "Just a matter of time really before we see more advertisers using this as a way to improve communications with customers. In particular, it will open interesting opportunities to develop mobile CRM solutions...also opens the door to very creative applications for mobile marketing." An ad campaign is expected to kick off in coming weeks. to promote the service.