Sprint PCS said it is including over-the-air technology with seven of its new Vision handsets, enabling the carrier to perform remote software upgrades and fix bugs on devices already in the hands of consumers.
Sprint said its Wireless Software Upgrade provides a cost-effective way to deliver software upgrades that include improvements and enhancements to users’ phones. Customers will receive text messages after downloads directing them to press a button to approve and install the updates.
Five new Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. models have embedded software to support the upgrades; the carrier is also offering one OTA-enabled model each from LG Electronics Co. Ltd. and Sanyo Corp. The technology will be embedded on “nearly all” new models as they are launched, Sprint said.
While certain smart phones and niche devices have featured embedded OTA technology for months-T-Mobile USA has offered remote upgrades for its Sidekick for nearly two years-carriers worldwide are just beginning to launch the feature on a wider scale. NTT DoCoMo Inc. used the technology last year with a downloadable patch that fixed more than 100,000 handsets.
InnoPath Software helped deliver DoCoMo’s remote repair, and the California-based developer’s technology is embedded on the Sanyo MM-7400 through Sprint. Sprint’s new LG handset uses OTA software from Bitfone Corp.; Samsung used technology developed in-house for the remaining five phones.
Other OTA developers include Extended Systems, mFormation Technologies and Insignia Solutions.
Since the DoCoMo over-the-air repair, a few other carriers and manufacturers have deployed OTA-enabled phones worldwide. Sprint’s announcement is among the first carrier offerings to involve multiple handset models.
“These limited deployments, such as we’ve seen in Japan and the U.S., will soon be followed by much broader deployments from larger manufacturers,” said Peter Cohen, vice president of marketing for developer Red Bend Software Inc. “There are benefits to both carriers and handset manufacturers (with OTA technology); the benefits overlap. Neither one wants to see phones that are flawed in the hands of their subscribers or users.”
As handhelds get more technologically sophisticated-and more vulnerable-carriers and handset manufacturers have begun clamoring for ways to perform upgrades and diagnose and fix bugs. Operators see remote repairs as a way to avoid recalls or customer service issues that can be costly, time consuming and public-relations nightmares.
“As wireless handsets become more like a PC and the software complexity increases, the ability to quickly and cost-effectively deploy software updates on these new devices has become a major focus for carriers,” said Ken Hyers, a senior analyst with In-Stat/MDR. “As next-generation mobile technologies continue to gain popularity in the U.S., incorporating OTA technology into their services will become a requirement for every wireless operator.”
More U.S. and European carriers are expected to announce OTA agreements in coming months. And while most observers see an exponential increase in the number of OTA-enabled handsets during the next few years, the clock is ticking for developers to forge relationships with carriers and handset manufacturers or be left behind.
“I think nearly all of the manufacturers have made their selections” in OTA providers, according to Red Bend’s Cohen. “I think in a fairly short period of time, there will be a significant shakeout and consolidation in the market.”
