14 DAY TRIAL // Over The Air (OTA) updates are something most people are already familiar with, and it seems that these solutions are capable to deliver great customer satisfaction, while also boosting savings for mobile phone carriers. According to InnoPath Software, a leading in the area and the company to have delivered the first FOTA (Firmware Over The Air) solution, North American operators registered around $140 million in savings due to the use of its ActiveCare Mobile Update product.
“Savings are a result of reduced device recalls, returns and shorter care calls to address usability issues. Secondary advantages of FOTA include service assurance, directly impacting the operator’s revenue, as well as increased customer satisfaction resulting in lower churn. InnoPath’s Mobile Update is the only single vendor OTA update solution. Where deployed, it creates an enhanced user experience and better manageability for the operator via an end-to-end standards+ solution between the server and the update client,” the company notes.
According to the company, some of the major challenges in the OTA area comes from the increased presence of smartphones on the market. Some of the currently available such devices also show that it is not an easy task to deliver updates remotely, and the company points towards Sony Ericsson Satio's recent issues. At the same time, InnoPath Software also says that Nokia 5800 XM, which comes with OTA to some markets, but not all, is a good example of how customer satisfaction is increased when the device can be updated remotely.
During the past year, the company's servers delivered OTA updates to over 3.5 million devices, the company stated. Carriers updated this way over 20 phone models and managed to register total savings in excess of $140 million. InnoPath also expects for the volume of OTA updates to grow in the future, resulting in an increased amount of savings.
“InnoPath deployed the first commercial FOTA solution in 2003 and we have been the leaders in that space ever since. Many of our 21 patents are related to FOTA and it is this technical expertise combined with real world operational experience and a world-class interoperability test team that together give both operators and OEMs the edge when developing their over-the-air support strategies,” said John Fazio, InnoPath president and CEO.
Moreover, the company provided a list of devices that have been updated in North America, and it includes: Casio C711, LG GR500, LG VX11k, Motorola V750, Motorola VU204, Motorola VU30, Motorola V860, Motorola W755, Motorola ZN4, Nokia 6555, Nokia 6650, Nokia E71x, PCD CDM 8975, Samsung Rugby, Samsung SGH-A737, Samsung u-350, Samsung u-450, Samsung u-490, Samsung u-650, and UTS GTX75.