I confess that my exposure to PTT systems in the enterprise hasn't been good. I know it's a popular service, but I don't fully understand the demand. I do however understand the need for providers to deliver PTT service to customers.

Here's an announcement from a company I'm just discovering, Clarity Communication Systems Inc., an Aurora, Illinois-based company that is bridging the realms of Push-to-Talk (PTT), Content Distribution and Location-Based Services (LBS). 

I'm working the scheduling logistics for a caht with Clarity CEO Jim Fuentes. Jim started Clarity in 1998 and has built the business without any VC dollars. Unlike many of the regularly newsworthy start-ups, Clarity is also operating in the black. The company’s relationships with some of the household names in mobile communications industry reads like a who’s who of making things work in wireless, and their team of wireless veterans can demonstrate their lineage back to Lucent and Motorola.

Clarity is a company that is well known in the mobile industry for specializing in the design, development and deployment of advanced, end-to-end communications solutions for mobile devices and wireless networks. 

As a hosted solution, inTouch PTT, described in the press release below, becomes the viable alternative to all 2nd & 3rd-tier CDMA wireless carriers. With minimal capital investment, Clarity’s inTouch PTT service can quickly help those wireless carriers differentiate their services, increase average revenue per user and build the kind of customer loyalty and stickiness that Nextel has been known for as a result of their Direct Connect and excellent PTT performance.

While I still don't know a lot about them, and have some personal issues with the whole concept of PTT, they're a company I'll be watching close. And when I can work out the logistics, we'll hear firsthand from their CEO.

CLARITY COMMUNICATION SYSTEMS OPENS HOSTING CENTER AND OFFERS HOSTED INTOUCH PUSH-TO-TALK SOLUTION

AURORA, Ill. – February 8, 2007 – Clarity Communication Systems Inc. today announced the opening of Clarity’s Hosting Center and the offering of Clarity’s hosted inTouch Push-to-Talk (PTT), the industry’s top performing IP-SIP based PTT solution for two years running. With years of development experience in wireless solutions, Clarity brings a 100 percent VoIP- (Voice over IP) and SIP-based solution to wireless carriers.

Push-to-Talk, a communications concept that was popularized by Nextel and Motorola, is an increasingly popular and requested service that allows users to communicate with one another and in groups, by simply pushing a button. With minimal up-front costs and no capital investment, Clarity’s PTT service can quickly help wireless carriers differentiate their services, increase average revenue per user and build customer loyalty.

Clarity’s inTouch is the top-performing SIP-based PTT offering, combining a portable handset client based upon QUALCOMM Inc’s BREW platform with VoIP and SIP technologies to deliver PTT voice services over a standard wireless packet data infrastructure. To make inTouch more robust, Clarity has integrated presence and provides superior voice quality with excellent low-latency performance.

Clarity’s inTouch Push-to-Talk Hosting solution works on any CDMA 1xRTT network. For wireless carriers, other than Direct Connect™ from Sprint Nextel, Push-to-Talk has always been something that many of their customers have wanted, but has never been widely available.

“The hosted inTouch Push-to-Talk solution is a very viable alternative for all Tier Two and Tier Three CDMA wireless carriers,” said Clarity CEO Jim Fuentes. “With minimal capital investment, Clarity’s Push-to-Talk Hosting solution can quickly help these wireless carriers add to their services portfolio, increase average revenue per user and build the kind of customer loyalty and stickiness that Nextel was known for as a result of its Direct Connect™. Our goal is to attract hosting center customers.”

About Clarity Communication Systems
Clarity Communication Systems specializes in the design, development and deployment of solutions for mobile devices and wireless networks. Clarity also provides network infrastructure solutions and works with major telecommunications carriers and equipment providers to deliver a wide range of custom-built products. Founded in 1998, Clarity is headquartered in Aurora, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. For more information, visit Clarity’s website at www.claritycsi.com.

BREW is a registered trademark of QUALCOMM Incorporated.

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