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"Subscribers using customized handsets have a 50%-60% higher monthly average data volume and usage rate than subscribers using non-customized handsets."
Booz Allen Hamilton

 

New Industry Standard for Mobile Device Firmware Updates Proposed by Industry Leading Vendors InnoPath and Red Bend

Framingham, MA and Sunnyvale, CA May 15, 2006 – Innopath Software, the industry leader in over-the-air mobile device management (MDM), and Red Bend Software, the leading provider of mobile software management solutions, announced today a proposed new format standard for the packaging and distribution of firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updates between companies within the mobile phone industry. Implementing the proposed format will make the task of distributing FOTA updates from mobile handset manufacturers to mobile network operators, and between other parties, easier and less expensive.

Mobile device management (MDM) and FOTA solutions are being widely deployed by mobile network operators to provision, diagnose, update and repair mobile phones. Interoperability standards are one of the key drivers responsible for the successful growth of the MDM market. This initiative is an example of leading companies in the industry working together to accelerate adoption of open standards to support this rapidly expanding market.

Red Bend and InnoPath have agreed to collaborate to obtain approval on the new format, Package Ingest Container (PIC), as part of the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) Device Management (DM) standard specification, where it is currently in the proposal stage. OMA, a standard setting organization for developing market driven, interoperable mobile service enablers is closely involved with MDM issues. Its membership includes the world’s leading mobile operators, device and network suppliers, information technology companies and content and service providers.

The PIC is a comprehensive, secure and easy-to-use format for packaging multiple FOTA updates with the relevant meta-data required by operators or other third parties to manage and deploy these updates. Implementing PIC will provide the mobile handset manufacturers, mobile network operators and MDM system vendors with a uniform information exchange format for the distribution of FOTA updates as well as mobile applications. More information about the PIC format for firmware package ingest can be found on OMA website under http://member.openmobilealliance.org/ftp/Public_documents/DM/2005 and in a related white paper on Red Bend and InnoPath websites.

About Innopath

InnoPath Software, the leader in Mobile Device Management (MDM) solutions, enables wireless carriers and mobile device manufacturers to transparently deliver and support current and future revenue producing services. InnoPath was the first company to commercially deploy firmware over-the-air mobile device management, and its integrated iMDM Solutions Suites are built upon standards based technologies for rapid, high quality delivery of services. Tens of millions of active subscribers are experiencing the value of InnoPath patented solutions through leading carriers including Cingular, KDDI, NTT DoCoMo (NEC), VodafoneKK and Sprint, and device manufacturers LG, Kyocera, NEC, Pantech & Curitel, Panasonic, Sanyo, Sharp and Toshiba. Headquartered in Sunnyvale, California, InnoPath is privately held with offices in China, Japan, Korea and the UK. For more information, visit http://www.innopath.com/.

About Red Bend Software

Red Bend Software helps mobile phone manufacturers and network operators accelerate the adoption of new services and features, respond rapidly to customer problems and reduce support costs through mobile software management solutions. BenQ Mobile, LG Electronics, Sharp, Sony Ericsson, and other large handset manufacturers use Red Bend’s firmware over-the-air (FOTA) technology to quickly and reliably deliver compact firmware updates to mobile phones already in the hands of users. Founded in 1999, Red Bend Software is a privately held, venture capital-financed company with corporate headquarters near Boston, Mass., and offices in China, Israel, Japan, Korea, and the U.K. More information about Red Bend Software is available at www.redbend.com.

Media Contacts:
Red Bend Software
Peter A. Cohen
+1 508-270-4590 ext.224
peter.cohen@redbend.com

Emerge Public Relations
Matt McCarthy
+1 617-729-3175
mmccarthy@emergepr.com  

InnoPath Software
Kristin Bleier
The Hoffman Agency
+1 408-975-3031
kbleier@hoffman.com