FOTA Mobile Device Repair

Mobile devices are undergoing a significant transformation from relatively simple voice-based telephone handsets to more sophisticated multimedia communication devices for business and personal use. In addition to handling voice communication, these mobile devices are now equipped with email, browsers, cameras, video conferencing and other sophisticated features.

In order to provide these features, mobile devices require increasingly complex mobile device software and firmware. As mobile device software becomes more complex, however, mobile device manufacturers and carriers face the challenge of ensuring that the software is of high quality and that the mobile device will be 100% reliable. As these mobile devices proliferate in the market, and the mobile device software complexity increases, there is an increased likelihood that mobile devices will ship with defects, and that in order to function properly, mobile device repair will be required.

Up until now, to repair mobile devices already deployed to customers would require them to bring their mobile device into a shop for repair. The repair involves "reflashing" the memory on the mobile device to update the mobile device software. This on-site repair of mobile device software is obviously inefficient, expensive and impractical on a large scale.

A more effective alternative for mobile device repair is technology known as "over-the-air" (FOTA) software updating for mobile devices. FOTA mobile device repair enables mobile device manufacturers and carriers to remotely repair the mobile device software and firmware that controls the function of the handset wirelessly. New mobile device software that repairs flaws in the software originally installed on the mobile device is delivered FOTA, eliminating the need for the user to bring the mobile device to a service facility for repair.

For mobile device manufacturers and carriers, using FOTA mobile device repair of software and firmware defects allows them to reduce support and warranty costs and avoid costly mobile device repair recalls. And for mobile device users, they are assured of receiving the most current mobile device software version, while avoiding the inconvenience of physically bringing their mobile device into a shop for repair.