Ovum Names Red Bend Software the Market Leader in Firmware Over-the-Air Updating

WALTHAM, Mass., September 30, 2009—Red Bend Software, the market leader in Mobile Software Management (MSM), today announced that Ovum, a leading independent market research firm, released a new study this month that names Red Bend the market leader in firmware over-the-air (FOTA) updating. Red Bend increased its market share to 64% of FOTA clients shipped in mobile handsets during fourth quarter 2008. This number is more than three times its closest competitor. Red Bend also increased its market share to 54% of FOTA-enabled handsets in active use. The report, “Support for Device Management in Mobile Handsets: 2008–2011 (4Q08 update), 8 September 2009,” is available at http://www.redbend.com/resources/research-reports.asp.

“Red Bend’s market share continues to increase as software updating becomes more important to the mobile user experience,” said Adam Leach, principal analyst with Ovum’s Mobile User Experience advisory. “Red Bend has gained traction with both operators and manufacturers, and its FOTA client is now used by four of the top five handset vendors, as well as with a number of vendors in Japan.”

The study examines data from more than 1,300 mobile handsets launched worldwide since 2003. This report is the sixth iteration of a series of quarterly studies focusing on three technologies based on standards from the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA): FOTA, OMA CP (client provisioning) and OMA DM (device management). These technologies are increasingly being adopted by global operators and handset manufacturers for remote configuration, defect fixing, diagnostics and software management of mobile handsets. Ovum states year-end 2008 shipments totaled 431 million FOTA-enabled handsets (representing 35% of global shipments), 743 million OMA CP-enabled handsets (representing 60% of global shipments) and 410 million OMA DM-enabled handsets (representing 33% of global shipments).

Red Bend’s MSM portfolio includes vRapid Mobile® for FOTA updating, managing software components over the air (SCOTA) and application management as well as vDirect Mobile™ for device management.

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 more than 565 million mobile devices by eight of the top 10 handset manufacturers, including Kyocera, LG Electronics, Motorola, Sharp, Sony Ericsson and ZTE, as well as dozens of 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)

Red Bend Software
Christopher Leary (+1 781- 890-2090, ext. 227 or christopher.leary@redbend.com)

Emerge Public Relations
Sheila Bohan (+1 617-729-3185 or sbohan@emergepr.com) 

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