Red Bend Software

WALTHAM, Mass., April 13, 2009—Red Bend Software, the market leader in Mobile Software Management (MSM), today announced that Ovum, a leading independent market research firm, has again named Red Bend the leading provider of firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updating software. In the newly released Ovum study, Red Bend leads the market with 60% share of FOTA-enabled mobile phone shipments, three times its closest competitor, and 46% share of the installed base of FOTA-enabled handsets. Red Bend’s FOTA client software is now used by four out of the top five handset manufacturers, states Ovum.

The independent Ovum study, “Support for Device Management in Mobile Handsets: 2008-2010 (3Q 08 Update),” assesses the global market adoption of FOTA and device management capabilities in mobile phones. The study finds that despite the downturn in the handset market due to the global economic crisis, mobile device management adoption will continue to grow as operators worldwide require standards-based management of their mobile devices.

“Red Bend has increased its market share throughout 2007 and has continued through the first three quarters of 2008,” writes Adam Leach, principal analyst with Ovum’s Mobile User Experience advisory, in the study. “In the FOTA market, Red Bend continues to dominate, with 60% of the FOTA shipments in 3Q 08, three times its closest competitor.”

The study covers three key technologies: Open Mobile Alliance (OMA) client provisioning (CP), OMA device management (DM) and FOTA updating software. These technologies enable remote configuration, firmware updates, diagnostics and software management by mobile operators and device manufacturers. Ovum reports that 116 million handsets shipped in 3Q 08 supported FOTA, 197 million handsets supported OMA CP and 101 million handsets supported OMA DM.

“Service providers and now manufacturers continue to roll out device management services and this momentum will continue to drive support for FOTA, OMA DM and OMA CP,” states Ovum’s Leach. “New FOTA technology coming to market now enables the management of particular components, by dividing the firmware image into modular blocks associated with particular applications, which can then be updated separately. In addition, firmware updating can now be performed in the background, giving the consumer full use of the phone during the update process. This is particularly important for ensuring access to emergency services.”

Ovum’s assessment is based on a comprehensive survey of more than 1,300 mobile handsets launched worldwide since 2003. The new Ovum study is available free on Red Bend’s Web site at http://www.redbend.com/Ovum3Q08Update.

Red Bend’s MSM product portfolio, which supports OMA and other industry standards, includes vCurrent® Mobile for FOTA updating, vRapid Mobile™ for managing software components over-the-air (SCOTA) and vDirect Mobile™ for device management. Red Bend’s software has been shipped in more than 475 million mobile devices, including mobile phones, mobile broadband PC cards, WiMAX modems and machine-to-machine (M2M) wireless modules.

About Ovum
Ovum’s primary activity is providing value-added advisory services and consulting to retained and project clients. The company acts as a well-respected and trusted source of industry data, knowledge and expertise on the commercial impact of technology, regulatory and market changes. Ovum engages in continuous research and industry analysis to determine market dynamics in its specialist sectors. Ovum has developed long-standing relationships with many of its corporate clients, which include major international blue-chip companies such as Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, BT, Cable & Wireless, Cisco Systems, Deutsche Telekom, Fujitsu, HP, IBM, Microsoft, Telstra and Vodafone. For more information on Ovum research, advisory and consulting services, please visit us on the Web at www.ovum.com.

About Red Bend Software
Red Bend Software, the leader in Mobile Software Management (MSM), provides software solutions for managing firmware, applications and devices over the air. The company’s award-winning MSM products enable device manufacturers, mobile operators and software developers to increase revenues, reduce support costs and achieve faster time to market by remotely managing their software assets on mobile devices. Red Bend’s software has been deployed in 475 million mobile devices by seven of the top 10 handset manufacturers, including Kyocera, LG Electronics, Motorola, Sharp, Sony Ericsson and ZTE, as well as more than 30 other leading companies in the mobile, M2M and WiMAX markets. Unlike device management vendors with proprietary end-to-end systems and manufacturers’ internally developed solutions that are platform specific, Red Bend is the only company offering independent client software that is interoperable with any standards-based server and that works with any platform on any type of mobile device. Founded in 1999, Red Bend is a privately held, venture capital-financed company with offices in China, Israel, Japan, Korea, the U.K. and the U.S. To learn how Red Bend is bending rules and breaking boundaries with mobile software management, visit www.redbend.com.

Media Contacts:
Ovum
Sara Kaufman (+1 617-722-4602 or sara.kaufman@ovum.com)

ENGLISH 日本語中文 한국어		CUSTOMER SUPPORT SITE MAP CONTACT US

Red Bend Software ‘Continues to Dominate’ in Firmware Over-the-Air Updates, According to New Ovum Study