BenQ Customer Story

"We started looking at FOTA as a good idea for troubleshooting phones in the field. Now it has become a full, after-sales solution that gives BenQ a unique value proposition." - Dr. Rupert Blank, Vice President, Customer Service, BenQ Mobile.

BenQ Pioneers Deployment of Over the Air Update Technology; Promotes Strategic Advantage of Enhanced Post-Sales Support

BenQ Mobile, one of the world's leading mobile handset manufacturers, was one of the earliest adopters of firmware over-the-air (FOTA) update technology. This technology allows BenQ to deliver all the latest firmware versions to phones already in the hands of users. Beginning in 2004, the company has successfully deployed Red Bend's vCurrent® Mobile FOTA solution over a broad range of handsets to all of its markets. In fact, BenQ sees this capability as a unique competitive advantage, and it is actively promoting its software over the air (SOA) program.

Overview of BenQ Mobile

BenQ Mobile is an industry leader in wireless communication devices, delivering "supreme mobile technology with a high lifestyle appeal." With its global headquarters in Munich, Germany, BenQ Mobile serves more than 70 markets around the globe.

BenQ Corporation significantly expanded its presence in the mobile handset market with the acquisition of Siemens' mobile phone business in October 2005. According to industry analysts, BenQ is currently among the top six global handset manufacturers.

BenQ has actively positioned its high quality customer care as a valuable competitive advantage. Its unique comprehensive Services over Air (S.O.A) program includes over the air updating of phone settings, content downloads, remote diagnostics, and software updating. The program allows consumers to extend and update their mobile software on the move at any time. As a result, BenQ Mobile consumers have greater flexibility over the configuration and personalization of their mobile phones.

To support its commitment to high quality customer service, in July 2006 BenQ will be establishing a dedicated service company, called inservio, to provide services for consumer electronics products. The S.O.A. services will be a key offering available to mobile operators and manufacturers.

Evaluation and selection

BenQ approached FOTA as an effective means to improve the entire end user experience with their phones. Using a FOTA solution, customers would no longer need to ship their phones to the manufacturer or deliver them to a service facility for updating. Instead, updates could be delivered over the air, and users could benefit from the latest features and functions. This would also benefit operators, who otherwise would lose revenues while phones were out of service.

Having determined that FOTA technology could provide and effective update solution, BenQ conducted extensive evaluations of the available solutions before selecting Red Bend's vCurrent® Mobile Update Suite. BenQ's critical selection criteria were the size of the firmware update package, the architecture of the solution, and price. On the architecture, the specific concern was that the FOTA solution not interfere with BenQ's firmware or the firmware development process. BenQ found that Red Bend's vCurrent Mobile could work with virtually no impact on the firmware or the development process.

Deployment Experience

After selecting vCurrent Mobile in early 2004, BenQ began delivering FOTA-enabled phones, starting with the S65 series, in October 2004. The company easily resolved initial challenges in training its call centers to handle phone updates, and by the third quarter of 2005, BenQ broadened the roll-out to include vCurrent Mobile as standard on nearly the entire S75 series phones.

BenQ sees FOTA as a valuable capability across its entire range of phones, and with operators' approval, they include it in both the low- and high-end phones. According to Dr. Rupert Blank, Vice President, Customer Service at BenQ Mobile, "Though some handset makers are using FOTA only on high-end phones, we believe it could be valuable for all our phones."

BenQ's positive experience with Red Bend's FOTA updating has resulted in a strategic advantage for the company. The company's S.O.A. program, which includes over the air technology for remote diagnostics, setting updates, and content downloads, as well as software updates, is actively promoted as a valuable after sales solution that adds unique value to its offering.

Response from users has been positive, with BenQ's monthly tracking showing usage increasing rapidly. They ascribe this to users' growing awareness and satisfaction with the SOA service and the availability of more firmware updates. "We track usage very closely," said Dr. Rupert Blank of BenQ Mobile. "The number of downloads has grown exponentially."

Future plans

With the success of its SOA service, BenQ Mobile is exploring options to expand its capabilities. They see that today's practice of updating firmware can evolve toward customizing phones over-the-air. "Today we are updating call software; tomorrow we may be doing customization," explained Dr. Blank. "Demand from operators for customization is growing." In this scenario, operators could cost-effectively deliver and maintain customized versions of their phones for their users. Although BenQ envisions more work to be done to resolve certain technical challenges and to reduce data transfer tariffs, they can see the value in using over-the-air solutions to deliver new and updated features to personalize phones already in users' hands.