Phone.com Inc. unveiled a new Wireless Application Protocol-based system that can change software settings and roaming configurations on handsets after they have been purchased using over-the-air provisioning technology.
The system, Mobile Management Server 1.0, was designed to provision WAP gateways, applications and handsets across multiple airlink standards, including Global System for Mobile communications, Code Division Multiple Access, Time Division Multiple Access and Japan’s Personal Digital Communications.
It uses Wireless Transport Layer Security protocol to communicate with the given handset and implements a Trusted Provisioning Domain mechanism to authenticate the server to the handset, the company said.
With the technology, carriers are free to establish new roaming partnerships and migrate subscribers to those new roaming networks without requiring users to bring in their handsets for reconfiguration. It’s done over the air instead.
“With this feature, operators have more flexibility to establish new roaming agreements and update their handsets in real-time to take advantage of better roaming rates,” the company said in a statement.
Users also may provision new WAP applications and browser set-up parameters.
The Mobile Management Server technology is included in version 4.2 of Phone.com’s UP.Link Server Suite, expected to be released in the second quarter. Besides allowing for OTA abilities, the updated version is WAP-compliant and features enhanced billing options.
With it, operators can gather more detailed billing information, the company said, and can charge for application-specific services in conjunction with an application provider. For instance, the upgraded server can detail the number of transactions performed at a certain site, and the total amount spent, so the carrier and content provider can share in the revenue.
On the client side of things, Phone.com said it will optimize its UP.Browser microbrowser for Intel Corp.’s Flash Data Integrator software, which it said would improve the amount of Internet-based data the phone could access and store. Security also is expected to increase as a result, the company said.
