New Handsfree Law for PTT Devices & Transition to Sprint DC

Posted on Feb 29th 2012

Effective January 3, 2012, the Mobile Telephone Law from the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration prohibits commercial truck drivers from holding a Push-To-Talk (PTT) phone while driving. In hopes of reducing traffic accidents, drivers are now required to keep the phone within arm's reach and use a headset, car kit, remote speaker mic, or other device with a remote PTT button. Bluetooth does not work with PTT (only voice calls) so the options are somewhat limited. CAFL has researched everything available for Sprint / Nextel PTT phones and determined the best solutions - please see below.

Before you choose a remote PTT handsfree device, it's important to consider Sprint's transition from the iDEN network to Sprint Direct Connect service.  According to this press release, the older iDEN devices will be phased out next year:

"As the customer base shifts to more broadband-centric push-to-talk applications on the CDMA network and Sprint launches Sprint Direct Connect, iDEN cell sites are expected to be phased out in 2013."

This means you should be transitioning your phones as well.  Sprint is already offering devices with Sprint Direct Connect service including the Kyocera Duramax, Duracore, DuraPlus, DuraXT and Motorola Admiral. The Kyocera models have the same PTT headset jack as the previous iDEN phones so you can use the same remote PTT handsfree devices - headsets, car kits, remote speaker mics, etc.  The Admiral has a different headset jack (3.5mm) which is not compatible with any remote PTT device, so the Kyocera phones are a better choice for truck drivers who need to use the phone on the road.

Do you need help developing a corporate strategy for this transition? Feel free to contact us for expert consultation. We can help you meet deadlines and determine the best accessory solutions for your needs.