SPRINT ENDS SUSPENSE WITH P2T LAUNCH

ReadyLink is ready. After spending at least two years testing and fine-tuning a press-to-talk architecture from Winphoria (a company since acquired by Motorola), Sprint is scheduled to launch its ReadyLink P2T service nationwide this week, according to several sources.

Sources familiar with the launch told Telephony that Sprint will sell the service as a $15-per-month add-on to any existing wireless service. Customers also can add both PCS Vision and ReadyLink to any existing calling plan for $20 per month.

At least two new Sanyo handsets supporting ReadyLink were set to be available at launch, with more on the way, sources said. Sprint did not return phone calls seeking confirmation of the launch.

ReadyLink's launch comes about three months after Verizon Wireless unveiled the first national P2T service to compete with Nextel Communications' market-dominant Direct Connect solution. That service uses the same Motorola/Winphoria platform that Sprint is using, but sources said Sprint will distinguish its service in several ways.

“The architectural implementation is different from Verizon's,” one source said. The call setup latency is about 9 seconds to 11 seconds, but buffering triggered at call setup and efficient intra-call routing make using the service feel “pretty natural,” the source said. “It is not as good as Nextel's service, but it is better than Verizon's.”

Additionally, Sprint is setting a limit on the number of participants allowed on a single group call session, which should encourage higher overall service quality.

“When too many people get on group calls, it ties up the cell site,” the source said.

Though Sprint often drew criticism from industry watchers during the last two years about its speed to introducing commercial P2T, the carrier spent the time improving network coverage to support the offering.

“Maybe they learned something from the rush to launch that Verizon took,” the source said.

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