The market for over-the-air updating technology now counts yet another contender, with WAP pioneer Openwave Systems Inc. releasing its new Mobile Device Manager product offering. Openwave also announced Cingular Wireless L.L.C. purchased its new MDM product, but said the carrier will use it only to manage service activations and not to push new software to mobile phones.
Openwave’s news serves to highlight both the growing clamor for over-the-air updating services as well as the complicated nature of the technology.
With the release of its Mobile Device Manager product, Openwave joins a growing number of OTA startups including Red Bend Software, Bitfone Corp., Insignia Solutions Inc. and DoOnGo Technologies Inc. The sheer volume of recent activity in the OTA market-DoOnGo scored $18 million in venture funding and Insignia signed two new Chinese handset makers as customers-offers further evidence that the world’s carriers and handset makers are intent on adding OTA technology to their offerings.
Over-the-air updating technology comprises a variety of functions. In its most broad definition, OTA technology refers to the relatively standardized process of remotely activating a new customer’s voice service, but it also covers highly advanced services like fixing mobile-phone software glitches by sending out new software over the air.
OTA technology most commonly refers to service activation. For example, when a user buys a phone, they sign up for whatever services interest them at the time, like voice mail or text messaging. However, if the user later discovers a new service they wish to sign up for-such as ring-tone downloading-their carrier must activate that service. Without OTA technology, a user would have to call their carrier’s customer-care center to have the service activated, and in some cases would have to bring their phone in to a retail store. But with OTA technology, the service could be activated automatically, over the air. Most carriers offer at least some form of OTA technology.
Such technology is now under the purview of the Open Mobile Alliance standards body, which recently released its Device Management specification version 1.1.2. The standards set down common protocols for handset makers and carriers to ensure that all phones can be remotely activated and upgraded.
“Device management is one of the hottest topics with operators this year,” said Mark Hopper, senior director of market products and solutions for Openwave.
Openwave’s new MDM product includes service activation functions but also allows carriers to send out software fixes, diagnose phone malfunctions and even back up a phone’s address book by storing the information in the network. Hopper said Cingular will use the service activation portion of Openwave’s MDM product.
Japanese carrier NTT DoCoMo last year became one of the first carriers in the world to announce a full OTA service. The carrier said it will be able to remotely manage its new handsets, offering new services and fixing software glitches over the air.
