Susan Gordon, Staff Reporter 
Webster
MIPHONE IS looking to tap into new areas of the mobile market and increase its market share with its new product "MiDirect, Push-To-Talk."
The mobile provider rolled out MiDirect, Push-To-Talk (PTT) this month after six-nine months of intensive use by a few businesses, including the Bank of Jamaica and private security firms.
The product, which is a combination of a cellphone and two-way radio service in one, offers a walkie-talkie type service which is also expected to attract new clients and grow the over 100,000 client base of MiPhone.
MiDirect (PTT) represents a part of MiPhone's renewed marketing thrust to increase its visibility island-wide. Prior to this, MiPhone restructured its management team to aid in this strategy.
The new chief operating officer for MiPhone, Colin Webster, said the product was brought on a revenue-shared basis with another system supplier, so the upfront cost to set up was not too high.
"It's another opportunity for a new market," Mr. Webster told Sunday Business.
PUSH A BUTTON
MiDirect (PTT) eliminates the dialling and ringing steps allowing the user to simply push a button for instantaneously communication with one person or an entire group of persons at no additional cost.
The push-to-talk service was made popular on the inter-national mobile scene some years ago by Nextel and Verizon. It is popular with First World economies across the globe.
"We have a lot of ageing two- way radios in the market that our customers have spoken about," explained Mr. Webster. Optimistic that the product will do well, Mr. Webster said he expected to have the traditional applicants from businesses for the service, as well as attract new customers.
"Jamaica brings a different flair to anything that's offered to them," he said, speaking of his expectations of how the product would be received.
MiPhone is a CDMA wireless voice and Internet local service provider. Its parent company, Oceanic Digital Jamaica Limited, also has licences in El Salvador, and the Dominican Republic.
