Hutch to be told to stop Push2Talk

Trai notes that service was not real time but of store and forward type.

Just days after issuing a showcause notice to Tata Teleservices to stop offering push-to-talk services immediately, the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (Trai) is set to issue a similar notice to Hutch.

The move to issue the notice comes as the regulator is of the view that Hutch's reply yesterday to its February 23 letter has failed to address most of the issues raised by Trai on the push-to-talk service.

"There is no reference to our query if the service provider (Hutch) has got the approval of the licensor to offer this service. Although we had categorically stated that it was misleading to term this service as push-to-talk, their reply refers to it as 'pre-standard store and forward push-to-talk'," said a Trai official.

On February 23, Trai had told Hutch that the "authority had taken note of the fact that the services being offered were not in real time and were of store and forward type".

"The service as such is not the push-to-talk cellular service being offered around the world. The main features are fundamentally different from the so-called Push2Talk service of Hutch. Further, the service must be provided only after the licensor has obtained the permissibility of the service from the licensee," Trai had said.

The regulator had also told Hutch to stop "misleading advertisements", not to use the name "Push2talk" and "withdraw all promotional banners".

"Rather than addressing these issues, Hutch has said that the term 'Push2Talk' was used as it was quick and simple for the customer to recall," Trai said.

When contacted, a Hutch spokesperson said: "The service is being temporarily withdrawn from today. Our customers have already got SMSs stating that this service is being temporarily withdrawn."

"We have written to Trai again today stating that the services are being withdrawn. We will soon rename the service, and represent it to Trai for approval as they are the licenser. In principle, Trai does not object to the service, but the fact that it is called Push2Talk, and that we have to get their approval," he added.