History of Nextel and Its Pioneering PTT Service

For more than a decade, the Nextel phone on a belt clip was standard gear for construction crews, delivery drivers, contractors and public safety teams. Press a button and your whole crew heard you instantly, no dialing and no ringing. This page covers how Nextel started, why it disappeared, how its push-to-talk technology worked, and what businesses use instead today.

What Happened to Nextel? The Timeline

• 1987FleetCall is founded by telecommunications lawyers Morgan O’Brien and Chris Rogers and investment bankers Brian McAuley and Peter Reinheimer.
• 1993FleetCall renames itself Nextel Communications.
• 1996Nextel launches its iDEN network commercially in the U.S. in September, with the push-to-talk feature that became known as Direct Connect.
• 2004NASCAR’s top series becomes the Nextel Cup Series under a sponsorship announced in June 2003.
• 2005The Sprint-Nextel merger closes on August 12, 2005. Nextel brings more than 20 million subscribers.
• 2008The NASCAR series becomes the Sprint Cup Series as Sprint Nextel phases out the Nextel name.
• 2013Sprint shuts down the Nextel iDEN network at 12:01 a.m. on June 30, 2013, ending Nextel push-to-talk service.
• 2020T-Mobile completes its merger with Sprint on April 1, 2020.

Is Nextel Still in Business?

No. Nextel no longer exists as a carrier or a brand in the United States. Its iDEN network was switched off in 2013, so original Nextel phones cannot make calls or push-to-talk calls on any U.S. network, and Sprint, the company that bought Nextel, became part of T-Mobile in 2020. If you are searching for “Nextel phone service” today, what you actually want is a modern push-to-talk service that works the same way, which is covered below.

Why Did Nextel Go Out of Business?

Nextel did not fail because people stopped wanting push-to-talk. Its customers loved Direct Connect. The problem was the network underneath it.

• Two incompatible networks. Nextel ran on iDEN, while Sprint ran a CDMA network. After the 2005 merger, Sprint Nextel had to operate, fund and sell two separate technologies that could not talk to each other.
• iDEN could not keep up. iDEN was built for voice and push-to-talk. As phones moved to 3G and then 4G LTE data, the network had no path to modern mobile data, so Sprint chose to retire it rather than upgrade it.
• Spectrum was worth more elsewhere. Shutting iDEN down freed Nextel’s 800 MHz spectrum for Sprint’s newer networks.

How Nextel Push-to-Talk Worked

The backbone of Nextel’s service was the Integrated Digital Enhanced Network (iDEN), a technology developed by Motorola. Nextel’s network operated in the 800 MHz Specialized Mobile Radio band, and iDEN combined a digital cellular phone with a two-way radio. One handset and one network handled voice calls, text messaging and push-to-talk, which made Nextel stand out from every other carrier of its time.

Nextel iDEN vs. Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC)

Both Nextel’s iDEN service and push-to-talk over cellular give you instant, walkie-talkie style communication. They differ in the network technology underneath.

• Network Technology

  iDEN

  A proprietary technology developed by Motorola that integrated two-way radio and cellular phone functions. It used Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) to allocate channels, and set up dedicated connections between devices for push-to-talk calls.

  PoC

  Runs over standard cellular data networks using packet-switched, internet protocol (IP) technology. Voice travels as data over 4G LTE, or over Wi-Fi where available.

• Latency and Connection Speed

  iDEN

  Near-instant connection on dedicated push-to-talk channels.

  PoC

  Depends on the data network and the provider. On PeakPTT, instant-talk takes about 1 second or less on nationwide 4G LTE.

• Coverage and Capacity

  iDEN

  Limited to areas where the iDEN network was built. Since 2013, there is no iDEN coverage in the U.S. at all.

  PoC

  Uses existing nationwide cellular networks, so it works anywhere there is 4G LTE or Wi-Fi, with no line-of-sight range limit.

• Scalability and Integration

  iDEN

  A closed, proprietary system that was hard to integrate with other technologies.

  PoC

  Built on standard IP protocols, so it works with GPS tracking, PC dispatch consoles and smartphone apps.

• Device Compatibility

  iDEN

  Required specialized iDEN handsets, which no longer work anywhere in the U.S.

  PoC

  Runs on rugged PTT walkie-talkie radios and on iOS and Android smartphones, all on the same talk groups.

What Replaced Nextel Direct Connect?

The modern replacement for Nextel Direct Connect is push-to-talk over cellular. Instead of a dedicated radio network, a PoC radio sends your voice as data over nationwide 4G LTE, so the same one-button group call that made Nextel famous now reaches across a job site or across the country, with no FCC license and no repeaters to buy.

PeakPTT is a business push-to-talk provider built for the crews who used to carry Nextel phones. Here is what that looks like today:

• Unlimited nationwide PTT for $24.95/month

  One flat rate per radio covers unlimited push-to-talk on Tier-1 U.S. carrier networks. No contracts, and a 45-day money-back guarantee.

• Instant, Nextel-style calling

  Instant-talk in about 1 second or less, with all-call, group and private one-to-one calls.

• Big talk groups

  Unlimited talk groups, and a single PeakPTT talk group supports up to 2,000 users.

• GPS and dispatch included

  60-second GPS tracking is included with every radio subscription. Add a PC dispatch seat for $12/month with a live GPS map of your whole fleet and recorded calls with instant playback.

• Rugged radios and phone apps

  Radios start at $129 and arrive pre-programmed and ready to use. Team members on smartphones can join the same talk groups with the iOS and Android app for $9.95/month per user.

• Real people for support

  U.S.-based support that answers 24/7, from a company that has been in business since 2008.

Popular picks for former Nextel users include the rugged PTT-324G handheld ($259) and, for trucks and fleet vehicles, the PTT-M14G mobile radio ($249). Compare every plan and add-on on the PeakPTT pricing page, or read how push-to-talk over cellular works.

Frequently Asked Questions