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Will Mobile Operators Face a Capacity Crunch Soon?By Richard KinderVP of Technology and New Business for Europe Red Bend Software Mobile data has finally arrived. After years of hype, the volume of data on mobile networks is reported to have surpassed that of voice traffic. Whilst the majority of this traffic is driven by people with mobile broadband subscriptions, undoubtedly the new breed of data-intensive mobile devices contributes significantly to this rapid growth. This bandwidth consumption is stressing the edge of the network and backhaul, resulting in a potential field day for providers of optical and microwave infrastructure. I could successfully argue that the capacity crunch is already upon us. A frequently cited answer to congestion problems is to off-load mobile data from the mobile core network. Various techniques may be deployed to achieve this, such as WiFi or Femtocell offload. For the best results, both approaches rely on mobile devices being aware of their network context and acting accordingly. Unfortunately, the majority of handset software platforms have yet to acquire the necessary smarts to make best use of these whilst staying within the strict energy budgets imposed by today’s battery technologies. We should not forget that bandwidth usage is only one metric by which to measure mobile network capacity. As has been highlighted in numerous articles, blogs and elsewhere during and since Mobile World Congress 2010, today’s mobile devices also impose a greater signalling burden on the mobile network. Whilst I am yet to receive a clear explanation of exactly what signalling traffic is generated, one can hypothesise that the desire to preserve battery life results in these devices frequently establishing and tearing down PDP contexts, which in turn creates signalling traffic within the operator’s infrastructure. So what can the industry do about this? 4G standards such as LTE and WiMAX eventually will allow for future growth in mobile data usage – the key word being future! Prior to the halcyon days and unlimited bandwidth of 4G, network operators are committing significant amounts of money to enhancing their existing 3G infrastructure. As developers of device software, we too have a role to play, for example:
We cannot rely solely on network operators’ investments in infrastructure to address the capacity crunch. We have a responsibility to use what they provide as efficiently as possible. Services and platforms that can help operators manage their capacity concerns just may be more appealing to them. To misquote Scott McNealy (he of “the-network-is-the-computer fame”), one day datatone will be as important as dialtone. That day is here. Labels: 3G, bandwidth, LTE, mobile, mobile broadband, mobile data, mobile networks, mobile operators, mobile software management, mobile world congress, Red Bend Software, software, standards, WiFi, WiMAX
Moving Forward in Advanced FOTA Features With Revertible UpdatesBy Ilana BogomolnySenior Product Manager Red Bend Software Red Bend continues to pioneer new advances in managing mobile software over-the-air (OTA). In my last blog, I discussed background updates. This feature lets manufacturers and operators perform firmware updates while the consumer’s phone is online and fully operational, so that consumers have a working phone--from browsing the Web to making phone calls--a feature that is especially valuable during an emergency. In this blog, I want to discuss another Red Bend feature called revertible updates. This is a feature that enables the use of the same update file for both updating the device to the new version and for reverting to the previous version--without the need to download a “downgrade” file from the server, saving bandwidth and time. Revertible updates enable devices to roll back updates to the previous version of firmware in case the consumer cancels the update while it is in progress or in the event that a defect is detected in the new firmware version. Revertible updates support both uncompressed and compressed images. Part of Red Bend’s vRapid Mobile™ FOTA software solution, the revertible update feature is a must-have capability in several use cases:
Besides handset manufacturers, revertible updates are also valuable for machine-to-machine (M2M) manufacturers and service providers. FOTA is being used to keep the M2M module software up-to-date with changing standards and customer requirements, and to remotely perform software updates in a fast and reliable manner. With M2M modules growing in complexity, FOTA enables manufacturers to perform software improvements over the air, without needing to send a field technician on site. It is also important to mitigate risk if a defect is detected in the new firmware version. With revertible updating, the M2M manufacturer can perform a server-initiated rollback to the previous firmware version on all or select modules. In the case of the defect affecting the cellular stack, the module can initiate a self-update triggered by a watchdog to revert back to the previous version. This revertible update can occur without any contact with the server. Labels: firmware, FOTA, mobile software management, Red Bend
Reflections on 2008; Anticipation of “the Day After”Yoram SalingerCEO Red Bend Software Reflecting on 2008, unquestionably the state of the world economy had a significant impact on the mobile ecosystem. As such, mobile technology companies, especially handset manufacturers, are changing the way they conduct business. They will be cautious in the first half of 2009, reducing spending, controlling operations, and preparing to react as the economic crisis continues. They will cut the expectations of phone shipments to the market, as they did in 2008. Consumers are also changing their behavior. As a result, the replacement cycle of the phones will change; consumers will not be purchasing new mobile phone models or upgrading as often as they have. In 2008, we saw this occur in Japan when the operators abandoned their subsidies. As a result, there was about a 40 percent decline in new mobile phone purchases. Japanese operators are now faced with severe competition to retain customers and acquire new ones. In 2009, they will need to offer new services to boost their revenues and look overseas to grow their customer base. Despite the slowing pace of replacements, mobile phones are perceived to be essential parts of our lives, no longer a matter of convenience. For some consumers, their mobile phone is their only communication device. For others, it is has become a platform for commerce and socialization. While some OEMs were especially hit hard by the economy, others flourished. Take Apple and its iPhone. Apple has stayed on top despite the financial crisis. They have done this because they cultivated a great experience. And core to this great user experience is the additional applications that Apple offered. During the summer of 2008, Apple announced it had generated $30 million in one month by selling 100 million downloads from its Apple App Store for its iPhone and iPod Touch devices. The proliferation of other mobile application storefronts like Google’s Android Market, Microsoft’s Skymarket, Nokia’s Mosh and the Ovi initiative is allowing consumers to freely customize their phones with new applications and services. The expected result for these companies is noteworthy. For example, the App Store alone is expected to be a $1.2 billion business by the end of 2009, states investment firm Piper Jaffray. Even though Apple evolved as a significant player with an end-to-end proprietary system, it has several obstacles to confront. How will the iPhone reach Nokia’s level of mass market shipments? How will Apple evolve long term in the industry? Apple was not the only disruptive force in the mobile industry in 2008. Open source software changed the economics of the mobile platform in 2008. There was the Google Android launch and the birth of the Symbian Foundation. Because OEMs will build more phones on Android and Symbian, these platforms will become more community driven. But the big question is: Will the manufacturers release the code back to the industry, further driving collaboration and innovation while decreasing costs, or will they leverage it to their advantage? For 2009, both consumers and mobile companies will be careful with their money. But when consumers are ready to make that purchase, they’ll find more compelling options than ever before, specifically increasingly affordable smartphones and new kinds of innovative wireless devices to surf the Internet or read an electronic book. According to ARCchart, by 2013 non-handset devices—everything from data cards to game consoles to ebooks and M2M applications—will account for $93 billion in service revenue generated by operators. This is an exciting area of growth for our industry. Mobile software management will provide device manufacturers, mobile operators and ISVs greater flexibility and control over managing a device’s software throughout its lifecycle. They will be able to create new revenue opportunities and improve customer satisfaction through personalization. Features can be offered for a one-time fee or through a subscription service. Further on the bright side, we will see some recovery in 2009 because at the end of the day, the mobile phone is a lifestyle product. By 2010, there will be 4 billion mobile phone subscribers. Their mobile phones have become sophisticated computing devices—equipped with powerful software, enabling rich user interfaces and advanced features and applications, from streaming video to location-based services to music players. And these rich capabilities only serve to further integrate the mobile phone into our daily lives. Have you ever left the house without your phone, and not gone back to retrieve it? While there is certainly a level of fear, uncertainty and doubt, companies that prepare for “the day after” during this economic downturn will be the visionaries. The first to react will be the thought leaders because they will be able to identify opportunities through partnerships, mergers or acquisitions. These are the companies that will be proactive with feeding the market with new platforms, devices, features and services. And Red Bend Software will be one of those companies. Labels: Apple, device management, Google, mobile, mobile software management, Red Bend
SCOMO Goes Beyond FOTA and Focuses on Managing Individual Software ComponentsBy Elad GanotDirector of Standards and Alliances Red Bend Software Last month I enthusiastically purchased an advanced home entertainment system. I paid a lot of money to enjoy its high sound and picture quality, which were enabled by the cutting-edge technology that’s available in today’s market. It took me about seven years to upgrade my system even though I am a gadget fan and have a technical background. My new system is composed of an HDTV, an advanced receiver (which includes an image enhancer), a media streamer and a DVD player. You might wonder why isn’t Blu-ray part of my system—especially if I want to enjoy high definition movies. The DVD won’t help me so much as it cannot store the capacity required for HD quality. Well, as you may know, there is still doubt on whether Blu-ray will indeed become the next mainstream format for movies, so I’ve decided to wait and see. I can always upgrade separately my existing DVD to a Blu-ray (or whatever other format wins the market). Upgrading my DVD will not force me to upgrade the whole system because it is a stand-alone part with well-defined interfaces to the rest of the system. This makes it a “component.” When the time comes, I will receive an email telling me about this cool new device and for the right price I would click the “buy it now” button, and a delivery package will be on its way to my home. Going from the hardware world to the software world, things look even cooler. Here not only do components are upgradable, but also they even do so almost instantly and quite frequently. I change software components on my computer at least 100 times a year (not just once every few years). I install software, update existing software and uninstall software that I don’t use. Sometimes I just disable software for a while and re-enable it later. Yeah, I like tweaking the software on my computer, and recently I started playing with my mobile phone in the same way. My mobile phone has so many software components available for it that I even abandoned my stand-alone PDA, which had served me loyally for several years. Most users are not even aware of the fact that their mobile phone could actually be used as a personal computing platform. They probably know they can customize it in terms of a fashionable look (with wallpapers, sounds and colorful covers), but will they know how to discover a useful software component? Then be able to download it? Install it? Disable it if needed and re-enable it? Remove it? It was back in 2005 when the mobile industry saw an opportunity to improve the user experience with regard to software management and offered a service of managing the “life cycle” of software components on remote devices. To be able to realize this concept, you have to achieve a mass market, and the industry must agree on some common methods of communication—to allow for every device on every network to connect to the service, regardless of the manufacturer of the equipment (be it a managed client device or a managed server). The good news is that we NOW have a consensus with the Candidate Release of SCOMO 1.0 that was ratified by the OMA on Nov. 17. Now let us componentize the last sentence in a reversed order:
But a Candidate state also means a lot from a business perspective. Interoperability testing period typically happens in parallel to commercial deployments of the enabler. This means that Candidate Release of an enabler is a signal for businesses to start implementing commercial deployments, since the enabler is stable.
Labels: design, device management, DM, firmware, FOTA, mobile, mobile software management, Red Bend, standards
Background Updating Comes to the ForegroundBy Ilana BogomolnySenior Product Manager Red Bend Software Whether we’re using a PC or a Mac, we all receive those popup windows alerting us that a software update is available. We don’t think twice about those popups because they’re common practice today in the world of computers. We know we must execute those updates in order to keep our machines healthy. The updating process is exceptionally simple. We activate the update and continue using our email or other applications, letting the update perform in the background. But we know that the more applications we are running, the slower the software updates will take to install. Periodically, we may check the progress bar and see how much time there is left to the update. Once the update is completed, we may be asked to reboot our system. All very simple! There is a similar process for updating the firmware on your mobile phone—but with a BIG difference. The update does not happen in the background—in fact, the phone is unusable until the update completes. For those of us specializing in FOTA, we understand that the time to complete the update process is dependent on several factors, including how many changes are taking place to the firmware. In some cases, it may take 15 minutes or more. With mobile phones serving as the lifeline for so many users around the world, any amount of downtime can be unacceptable, especially during emergencies. Red Bend has changed the FOTA paradigm with a new innovation called Background Updating. With Background Updating, the phone is only down for as long as it takes to reboot. The actual update happens in the background while the phone is fully operational. Since the updating process requires memory and processor resources, and these are not as abundant on the phones as they probably are on your PC, running resource-hungry applications, such as watching video or playing some games, would not be advisable during an update, as they might work somewhat sluggishly. But there is nothing to stop you from making and receiving calls, browsing the Web and generally using the phone as you normally would. There are several ways how the mobile user can interact with the Background Updating process.
With Background Updating, update time becomes irrelevant because 1) the user is still able to fully use the device and 2) the user decides when to reboot. Rebooting does not have to be executed immediately after the FOTA update. For instance, it could occur when the user shuts off the phone for its daily recharging. Because of the simplicity and ease of Background Updating—and how it mirrors software updates on computers—it is quickly coming into the foreground of operator requirements for FOTA. And with good reason. Many have service level agreements covering availability of the phone and the network. Others have legal considerations for access to emergency services, such as E911 in the United States. In addition, operators are responding to the customer needs of establishing a familiar software updating process, regardless of the type of device: PC, Mac, feature phone or smartphone. To see Background Updating in action, watch this video. Labels: firmware, FOTA, mobile software management
Linux, Calligraphy, and a serious case of Déjà VuBy Morten Grauballe EVP, Platforms and Ecosystem Red Bend Software  When I lived in Japan in the late 1980s, I had a very enjoyable flirtation with calligraphy. Although I never got beyond the early lessons of drawing bamboo, I did learn the basic Zen principle of “form is void and void is form.” It basically brings forward the simple notion that objects are defined by the space between them and that space is defined by the objects around them. This notion is brought to its forefront in the “Enso,” or Zen circle. The Enso itself is a universal symbol of wholeness and completion, and the cyclical nature of existence.I mention this here, because I recently had a strong sense of déjà vu taking me back to the 1990s. It was one of those moments which seemed to tie a current event to early steps in my career. At the time, I was working at Symbian and a fierce debate was raging within Symbian for and against two box solutions (i.e. phone and PDA) versus one box solution (i.e. an integrated Smartphone). While 10 years later it seems obvious that the Smartphone would win, it was not necessarily so back then. Remember these were the days of the Palm Pilot.  My flashback started in a cab going to a meeting near Tel Aviv last week. Taking advantage of the low dollar exchange rate, my colleague from the US had brought me Nokia’s Linux-based N810. She handed it to me 5 minutes before getting into the cab. Unable to control my curiosity, I had to power up the device while we were en route. It had a truly stunning display, boot time seemed reasonable, and the UI behaved more or less as I would expect. It soon became clear from the mapping application and the car mount accessory that the device had been designed with navigation in mind. I also managed to pair it over Bluetooth to my trusty E65. I was starting to fall in love. Together with a sleek HSPDA feature phone from Sony Ericsson, this might be it….maybe the two-box solution would work after all.To test the substance, and not just the looks, I launched the mapping application which, true to its origin of purchase, asked me to choose between a map of Canada and a map of the US. With my Canadian colleague in the back, I managed to pinpoint his house down to the street – not bad, not bad at all! Once we arrived at our meeting I managed to connect it to the local hotspot. To test whether the two-box solution would work in my native Denmark, I started to download the 176MB map of Scandinavia. As we got through the first couple of items on the agenda, the device finished downloading and was sitting on the table waiting for me to test it. It was a struggle to keep my hands off the device. Then it started to happen….a strong reversal of fortune. We had a break in the meeting and I immediately tapped on the map icon. Instead of giving me a choice of maps, the mapping application kept crashing. The screen would go white as if the mapping application was launching, but then it would disappear and the desktop would reappear. I tried a reboot. It did not help. I pulled out the battery. It did not help. It soon became apparent that the map of Scandinavia somehow made the mapping application fall over. Not good, not good at all. At this stage, I better admit the real reason why I had asked my colleague to purchase the N810 in the first place. It was not really to satisfy my own fascination with mobile gadgets – although I had lost track of that in the first exciting hours of my encounter with the N810. The real reason was more business in nature. During a meeting in Redwood City, Calif., Ram Fish, TrollTech’s General Manager for Digital Home Products, had challenged me and my colleague, Guy Agin, to compare our implementation of vRapid Mobile, our software management application, with the implementation of the Debian Package Manager on the N810. I decided to order the device right away. This was the real reason I was now franticly tapping away on the mapping application icon. While a crashing map application was not good from a usability point of view, it was the perfect opportunity for me to test the software management capabilities of the N810. As mentioned, the application management application is based on the Debian Package Manager which in turn is based on APT, all open source: “The Advanced packaging tool, or APT, is a user interface that works with core libraries to handle the sometimes difficult process of installing software on Linux. APT simplifies the process of managing software on Unix-like computer systems by automating the retrieval, configuration and installation of software packages.” (www.wikipedia.com) I powered up the application manager. As I clicked on “Check for updates”, I was relieved to see an update to the mapping application. Eureka…someone had realized the problem and issued a fix. I clicked on the icon and the device displayed the message “retrieving update” and then it happened again. The device let me down. Instead of “installing update,” I got the following message: “Unable to Install Map Update - incorrect source. Please contact the publisher of this application” The Debian Package Manager was clearly present, but someone somewhere was not providing the right updates for my device. Luckily, I was already aware of the possibility to update the firmware with the provided USB cable. If I could not use the application manager to fix my problem, I would perform a complete reflash. That should do the trick! Off I went to my usual Nokia software update site, http://europe.nokia.com/softwareupdate. I typed in the software version and the code identifying my device. I tried three times and every time I got the same answer: “Code not recognized.” Hmm, very strange. When in doubt, launch Goggle! So I did and typed in “N810 software update.” I did get a Nokia site, but https://www.nokiausa.com/A4686323. In hindsight, it is obvious I should have gone to the US site instead of the European site, but when you are dealing with software management usability is everything. Consumers just want it to work. One button press on the device to get the right software - that would be the perfect experience. I managed to find the link to the latest update and was also happy to see that the software updater on my PC for the E65 was working with the N810 as well. The update went well, although I am still amazed that Nokia prefers to issue the user a warning dialog around the removal of the battery instead of having a fail-safe mechanism that can track and recover the reflashing process. Being one minor mistake away from bricking your device is not a comfortable position to be in. Getting excited to finally test the mapping application, I powered on the device once more and tapped on the mapping icon. The screen went white and up popped a dialog: “Cannot install – no memory card available.” I ripped the packaging apart to find a memory card, but there was none there. This is when it dawned on me that the new firmware had actually been designed for the N810 WiMAX edition which presumably comes with a memory card. The Maemo team had decided to make the software version, called OS2008, available for the N810 as well. No one had however been testing backwards compatibility of the mapping application. This was the exact point where I was brought back to my early Symbian days. It was abundantly clear that I was caught in the cyclical nature of existence. Back then, we were trying to ship EPOC (original name for Symbian OS) release 5 for the Psion 5. This is over 10 years ago, but I still remember how excited I was about the touch screen, the responsiveness, and the applications on the device. I also remember the grueling process of having an entire contact database deleted due to a defect. I remember the reflashing process, when a new version came out. I remember applications not working due to compatibility issues…..another reflash! The N810 was bringing out the exact same feeling of excitement combined with the incredible disappointment of things not working. 10 years had passed in the mobile industry and very little had changed in terms of the software experience. Reflecting further on this, it is interesting to observe that we actually have completely new technologies to help us, like the Debian Package Manager, but the cause of the problem is clearly not technology. It is in fact in the business processes that surround the technology. I am sure that the Scandinavian maps were working when Wayfinder was testing them in their labs in Sweden. I know that I was a happy user of Wayfinder back in the days when I had a SonyEricsson P800. Somewhere between Nokia and Wayfinder, the configuration of the software (or maybe hardware) was changed and we ended up with a defect no one had managed to identify. It took me less than half a day to find it. I am also sure the right update for the map applications exists somewhere. This is not a technical problem. For some reason, the wrong update was uploaded to the server. I am not sure whether the Maemo team got the wrong update or whether someone uploaded it incorrectly to the server. The end-result was an unhappy user. Finally, I am sure the Maemo team had good intentions when they decided to make OS2008 available for my device. I am also sure they tested the software on the N810. For some reason, the mapping application was not tested properly. Probably because it was not part of the firmware, but rather an add-on application residing on a separate drive. Just like “form is void and void is form” in Zen philosophy, end-user experience of technology is defined by the business processes that surround it and the business processes are in turn defined by the technology. As my experience shows, the artists of the mobile industry are so focused on the object that they forget the spaces between the objects. We therefore end up with mobile devices that can best be described as almost completely black canvasses where you have to look very hard to identify the bamboo in the picture. From an end-user experience perspective, it does not make sense to distinguish between software in the firmware and software in the R/W file system. For the consumer, a software application is a software application. They do not care about the drive it is residing on, or whether it was supplied by Nokia or WayFinder, or which installation and management technology is being used to get it to the device. In the eyes of the consumer, each application (or software component) should be managed in the same way, tested the same way, and updated the same way, irrespective of the underlying technology being used. We have all the technology elements to make mobile software management a treat for the customer – now, let’s leave plenty of space for the business processes and make sure we have an experience that delights the customer. Labels: mobile software management, N810, Nokia, Sony Ericsson
305 Million Mobile Phones, 29 Licensees and $10 Million in Funding to Fuel What’s NextBy Yoram SalingerCEO Red Bend Software There are many exciting developments happening here at Red Bend. Our vCurrent® Mobile FOTA software has shipped in more than 300 million mobile phones. This milestone has been reached thanks to your continued support. Over the past year and a half, we have seen our business grow rapidly as firmware updating and device management achieve mass market adoption. According to Ovum, more than half of all new mobile phones are coming to market with FOTA software, and this number is projected to increase to 84% by the end of next year. With FOTA-enabled phones now widely available, we are working closely with our customers and partners to increase usage of over-the-air software updating. Our innovative Background Updating feature, we believe, sets the new standard in FOTA and significantly improves the mobile user experience by performing the firmware update in the background while the consumer continues to use the phone, without taking the device offline. As of Q1, we now have 29 licensees of our software products. Red Bend has amassed a wealth of experience and knowledge about best practices in OTA software updating. We recently launched an effort to document best practices in creating “FOTA-friendly firmware.” I encourage you to contact us to learn more and see how we can assist you in efficiently provisioning firmware updates. Lastly, I am pleased to inform you that Red Bend has closed a funding round of $10 million. The new funds will be used for sales and marketing to grow our position in the mobile market as well as seize new opportunities in licensing our software for other connected wireless devices. In addition, the funds will be used to accelerate investment in research and development to bring you new innovations in mobile software management. Stay tuned to see what’s next. Labels: FOTA, mobile software management, Red Bend
The inner secrets of the 100 million unit clubBy Morten GrauballeEVP, Marketing Red Bend Software 2007 became the year when mainstream Silicon Valley decided to attack the mobile phone market head-on. With over 1 billion mobile phones shipped every year and the market moving towards 3 billion mobile subscribers, you can understand why. Apple started the year by announcing the iPhone. Half way through they started shipping and quite successfully too. The incumbent players took notice – believe me. Then to make 2007 a real year of change, Google announced Android a new platform meant to change the dynamics of the value chain. It is ”free” (in a royalty sense) and with a strong focus on allowing internet applications and services (to make money). Apple has also announced that it will open up the iPhone for native applications in 2008. It is a complete onslaught on the mobile phone market. So, if you are a large software player in the PC or internet space, then 2008 seems like the perfect year to penetrate the market and get onto those 1 billion units. You can easily envision the following conversation taking place in well-establish software players from San Francisco down to San Jose: CHoM (Clever Head of Marketing): “Over 1 Billion mobile phones every year – that is too good to be true!....How do we penetrate this market? How do we get to the biggest installed base of users?” RAG (Resident Architect Genius): “Not sure” CHoM: “Java seems to be a good option – there are millions of java-enabled phones in the market” A little later……. RAG: “I had a look….Java ME does not give good access to a broad set of APIs. Also….there is significant Java fragmentation across handsets – complete nightmare, if you ask me!” CHoM: “I got it! We will move to native programming - Smartphones are taking off!” RAG: “Hmm….Symbian OS, with the largest installed base, is on single digit percentage market share. “ CHoM: “But if we add Brew we will get a few more percentage points!” [in denial!] RAG: “We are still nowhere near 1 billion units!” CHoM: “What about adding Windows Mobile? Or the new Android thing?” [Now completely in denial!] A few hours later…… CHoM: “So…in summary, we need to port to 8-12 different operating systems to be successful!” RAG: “Yep…and most of these operating systems do not have publicly available SDKs!” [clearly enjoying himself] CHoM: “What…?” [Almost crying!] RAG: ”Finally....you should know that there is no distribution method for getting software onto phones!” [Big grin!] CHoM: “………..!” [in tears] A few more hours……. CHoM: ”So what you are saying is ..we need a relationship with the handset manufacturers to get the SDKs and to get our software embedded into their phones!” [with a hardened sense of realism!” RAG: “Spot on, boss!” In a world like that, it might be surprising to newcomers (like CHoM and RAG above) that there are successful software players in the mobile phone industry. There are in fact quite a few. When your software is on 100 million phones globally, then you have joined the “100 million unit club.” Some of the leading members of this club are: Adobe (formerly Macromedia) –provides the Flash Lite execution environment Access – provides a successful mobile browser Beatnik – provides the polyphonic ringtone engine on most mobile phones Packet Video – provides the audio and video technology, i.e. for the Verizon V-Cast music service Opera – provides a successful mobile browser Red Bend Software – provides the majority of Firmware updating Over-The-Air (FOTA) software T9 – provides the predictive text engine found on a lot of phones The Astonishing Tribe (TAT) – provides the graphics engine that drives a lot of UIs in the wireless industry By studying the approach of these companies, newcomers can learn a lot about how you tackle the world of mobile. What do they do right? First of all, they all have excellent products that excite not only the mobile operators, but also bring true value and benefits to the consumers around the world. Without this, you should not even try to enter the mobile phone market. Secondly, these companies embrace complexity, rather than trying to ignore it or wait for it to disappear. Most, if not all, members of the 100 million unit club have ported their software to the 8-12 leading operating systems in the industry. Where applicable they will have a Java version (like Opera Mini) and a native version (like Opera Mobile). They have also invested in the art of software optimization (something not always needed on a PC), which allows them to move into the mid-tier and low-tier segments of the market. They also understand the complexities of software distribution. When appropriate they will have relationship with the handset manufacturers. At other times, the will use the portals for the mobile operators or independent service providers to distribute their solution. Thirdly, these companies understand the market dynamics of the global mobile phone market. Some markets are operator-led, while other markets are more OEM-led. If, for instance, you have managed to get your software embedded on some of DoCoMo’s MOAP-S based handsets in Japan, then your next port of call should probably be the S60 or UIQ licensees in Europe. If you manage to get on these handsets, then you have an opportunity to move to the proprietary operating systems of these licensees. Gradually you expand your market to more and more platforms across the various markets in the global mobile industry. Finally, all of the above companies have participated actively in standards work. To get acceptance for your solution, it important for all the players in the value chain (mobile operators as well as handset manufacturers) that your software or service is based on open APIs and protocols that other people can add value to and support. (In coining the term “the 100 million unit club”, I have ignored web programming. In our brave new world of web 2.0, that is admittedly a crime which I am sure web 2.0 fanatics will nail me for. The fragmentation and appropriateness of web programming for mobile phones is however a big topic in itself and is probably better left for a separate blog posting). Lessons in a changing market Basing recommendations on extrapolations from the past is always dangerous in a dynamic market. Let’s therefore also look at some of the changes taking place right now. These trends could determine who will and who will not be members of the 100 million unit club in the future. Open operating systems are definitely gaining market traction. Linux, Windows Mobile, Symbian, and a few others are now responsible for close to 10% of the market. There is still an ongoing debate in the market as to whether they will make up 20% or 50% of the market someday. Whatever your view point, it is not going to happen overnight, and in the short term, Apple’s OS X and Google’s Android platform are two new operating systems that need to be taken into consideration. Platform de-fragmentation is clearly not a trend to bet on in the next 2-3 years. In the 5 year time horizon, it might be. The good news about the increased competition in the platform market is that SDKs, tools, and support from the large platform providers are improving rapidly. It is therefore becoming easier for the software players to embrace the complexity as described above. Software is becoming more portable. If we move from the world of software platforms to the world of software distribution, there is more help to be found. The Open Mobile Alliance ratified the specification of Device Management (DM) in early 2004. At the heart of the OMA DM standard, there is a well-designed protocol which enables the service provider to query any handset for its basic characteristics (like model number, firmware version, and settings). According to Ovum (Nov 2007), there is now an installed base of 235 million handsets with OMA DM support. This will grow to 50% of all handsets by the end of 2008. With both handset manufacturers and mobile operators actively using this protocol to provision settings and new software to handsets, it is becoming possible to distribute software post-launch. All of a sudden, you know which handsets are attached to the network and you can offer new features and services. For those software players who are already comfortable with the complexity of the platform market, this is an opportunity to accelerate time-to-market and up-sell new software or services once you are on the handset. The completion of SCoMO (Software Component Management Object) with in the OMA will further accelerate this trend. 2007 was a very exciting year for software providers in the mobile market. Players, who understand how to navigate the new world of mobiles have a lot to gain. Good luck and Happy New Year to all new candidate members of the 100 million unit club! Labels: mobile software management
Software on the Edge: MSM Reaches New FrontiersBy Yoram SalingerCEO Red Bend Software Having experienced the benefits of MSM for mobile phones, operators are beginning to require software management for all edge devices in the network. Mobile broadband PC cards are some the latest devices to benefit from FOTA and OMA-DM capability. With MSM, operators can provision settings over-the-air, reduce customer support costs and keep consumers satisfied with their mobile services—whether they are talking on their mobile phones or video conferencing from their PCs. The fact that operators are extending MSM to mobile PC cards shows the increasing importance that operators are placing on having full management control over their networks. Red Bend is in a unique position to give operators a consistent level of control in a world of heterogeneous terminals. We are the only company totally focused on remotely managing software inside mobile devices. Our experience working with 15 manufacturers across a dozen different mobile platforms (both open and proprietary) enables Red Bend to intimately appreciate the complexities of mobile software architectures. We recently celebrated shipping our market-leading vCurrent® Mobile solution in 200 million mobile phones worldwide. Soon, mobile broadband PC cards will come to market that are Red Bend-enabled. And after that, well… stay tuned. As operators and manufacturers become more advanced in their use of MSM, Red Bend will continue to innovate and deliver new solutions that enable our customers to derive even greater value from software on the edge. Labels: FOTA, mobile software management, OMA-DM
Best Practices in Creating Firmware for Over-the-Air Update DeploymentBy Ilana BogomolnySenior Product Manager Red Bend Software In the mobile phone market, increasing numbers of devices now support FOTA—Firmware Over-the-Air (FOTA) updating. FOTA is the most cost-effective way to maintain the device firmware and to provide new features remotely. It is already common practice for operators in Japan and the US, and is gaining momentum with OEMs and operators in Europe. However, even with wide support for FOTA capability across feature phones and smartphones, the actual deployment of firmware updates varies by operator, OEM and even by region. Updating mobile firmware over-the-air is new territory and a subtle paradigm shift for device software developers and integrators. Raising the level of awareness about best practices in creating and deploying new firmware versions using FOTA can significantly accelerate market adoption as well as improve the consumer experience and level of trust in this new technology. To optimize the FOTA user experience, the updates need to be as small as possible, and the update process should be as fast as possible. From the device manufacturer perspective, updates should be easy to create and test. For the past five years, Red Bend Software has been providing its market-leading vCurrent® Mobile FOTA solution to the industry’s top device manufacturers on more than 100 device models, implementing a wide variety of device architectures, chipset platforms and operating systems. Red Bend's Field Application Engineers have accumulated a wealth of hands-on experience in supporting our customers through successful integration, adoption and deployment of FOTA. At Red Bend, we have learned that although using vCurrent Mobile for FOTA updating does not require any changes to the manufacturer’s tool-chain, the awareness of the factors affecting firmware updates can have a significant effect on update size and speed and ultimately the consumer's experience. So what are these factors? FOTA updates are created by calculating the difference between old and new firmware versions. This means that OEM software developers and integrators should not consider each software release only as a standalone project, but should also be aware of the amount and nature of the changes introduced since previous versions. As many teams contribute components to a software release, it is often difficult for the configuration manager to figure out who is contributing most changes – Red Bend provides a set of tools which allows the configuration manager to understand who is contributing what kind of changes. The updating experience for the consumer should be as easy and brief as possible. To this end, creating and sending a single file that updates the firmware version is always preferable to sending a series of updates incrementing one version at a time. In addition to improving the user's experience, single-step, single-session updates provide less opportunity for the phone users to cancel the download process, and thus will increase the rate of successfully completed update sessions. Other factors that affect FOTA are the optimization of the FOTA Update Agent during the integration onto the device, and the optimal usage of update generation tools when FOTA updates are created and deployed. In addition, standard engineering practices for software updating involving data formats and API compatibility should be observed. In order to help industry-wide FOTA adoption, we at Red Bend are here to assist our customers in making their FOTA updates smaller and faster, ensuring FOTA-friendliness of each new firmware version, and tracking the type and quantity of changes between firmware versions. For more information, please contact your Red Bend account team or email us at inquiry@redbend.com. Labels: firmware, FOTA, mobile software management
Improving the Management of Mobile SoftwareBy John PurcellDirector of Terminals and Platforms Red Bend Software There’s a lot of discussion these days about how to improve the management of mobile software. Handset manufacturers are rethinking their architectures, analyzing modularized platforms and examining techniques such as storing programs in a User File System. Their goal is to gain greater access and control over individual software components after the phone has shipped, so that new core applications can be changed, services can be added and features can be customized. But as we all know, it’s not that easy to create a silo of software inside a mobile phone. As software is developed, there are dependencies and hooks that reach into all layers, including in embedded software residing in ROM. Take a web browser, for instance. A web browser may require dozens of other software components in order to fully function, such as embedded media players, video streaming components and UI resources. “Containing” the web browser is difficult, because other programs also clearly depend on some of those components. We can no longer rely on layered but physically distinct frameworks to comprehensively manage the growing amount of software in increasingly sophisticated mobile devices. Manufacturers need management flexibility both for devices that store embedded statically-linked software and devices that employ a more modular and dynamic architecture, including open source platforms. There are many current and emerging approaches to mobile software management. When evaluating each approach, manufacturers and platform providers should ask:
To learn more, read my article published in Wireless Design & Development called, “Beyond Platformization: Using Mobile Software Management to Achieve Feature Customization of Mobile Phones.” Labels: design, mobile software management
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