Motorola today announced the Push-to-Talk Over Cellular (PoC) Prepaid Mediation Solution, a new service that enables wireless operators to extend PoC services to prepaid customers in parallel with their postpaid subscribers. Motorola's end-to-end PoC Prepaid Mediation Solution encompasses the network, devices and services. This mediation solution can be extended to support other applications' prepaid billing needs by integrating with operators’ network services enablers such as messaging, location-based services, video streaming and email solutions.

Motorola Global Application Management Architecture (GAMA) enables this mediation solution and works with virtually any billing system to accommodate operators' needs. This plug-and-play interface enables swift authentication and debiting of the customer account without a delay in call set-up and can support various types of PoC Prepaid billing scenarios that require a more customized approach to rating, such as pay per minute, pay per session or unlimited calling. GAMA also provides the service providers with a common service delivery and content management architecture that simplifies and accelerates the creation, deployment and management of end-user applications and services.

According to Yankee Group analyst Erica Fox, "the expansion of prepaid payment options has been one of the most critical growth drivers of the worldwide wireless market. Latin American markets for example have increased the share of prepaid subscribers from 80 percent to 85 percent during the last three years and are predicted to maintain a steady 85 percent through 2009."

In addition, because the solution has the ability to support future services like Push-to-View, subscribers can continue to enhance the way they communicate through new services not realized before. From an operator perspective, this flexibility also provides a path for achieving revenue growth not only through the delivery of new services, but through a more efficient billing infrastructure.

Now, PoC makes it possible for prepaid and postpaid customers to share a special moment with an entire "buddy list" - including friends and family across the globe - instantly during one discussion.