extended its product portfolio for new WiMAX-capable devices. Mformation is commercially deploying MFORMATION SERVICE MANAGER™ for WiMAX to a number of customers, to provide seamless all-IP device management and remote activation capabilities.

WiMAX promises to significantly enhance the mobile Internet, allowing users to access advanced data applications and personal content from anywhere, on any WiMAX-enabled device, at broadband speed. WiMAX momentum has increased significantly in recent months as the first commercial deployments of the new technology are launched. The new MDM functionality will enable service providers to use Mformation’s MDM technology to remotely activate, configure, diagnose, update, secure and manage WiMAX-capable devices through all phases of their lifecycle. This will ensure that services and applications are delivered smoothly across any network, providing a flawless service experience across multiple network types.

“Device management has an important role to play in delivering a seamless customer experience and enabling new commercial models for advanced all-IP technologies like WiMAX. Our customers are using our platform to manage their current portfolio of mobile devices from end to end, and with this new product, we have extended our device management capabilities to provide an advanced solution for all-IP management of WiMAX devices,” said Mark Edwards, CEO, Mformation Technologies. “Our future vision for device management is being realized with this product release — an environment where all mobile services are optimized, irrespective of the network type, device or service being used. Device management solutions will play an increasingly central role in supporting a seamless service experience for mobile customers around the world, as mobile networks evolve and become increasingly IP based.”

Extending MDM to Support WiMAX
The MFORMATION SERVICE MANAGER for WiMAX is being tested and validated to work with a number of WiMAX products. Mobile device management is an increasingly critical technology for service providers as new network technologies are introduced to the market. For a first-class experience, mobile users require that their devices be managed in the same way, regardless of whether they are connected to an all-IP WiMAX network or a cellular network (including CDMA, CDMA 2000, GSM, GPRS, UMTS, WCDMA, HSPA). Regardless of what network their subscribers are using at any given point in time, service providers still need to configure services, remotely activate users, get a real-time view of devices, distribute and update applications and firmware, secure devices and data and monitor service availability and performance.

Specific enhancements to the MFORMATION SERVICE MANAGER platform to support WiMAX and the seamless management of devices across next-generation networks include these capabilities:

1. Enablement of device-server interaction over all IP-based networks, supporting functionality such as IP address lookup, IP push notification and secured IP device bootstrapping
2. Consistent management of devices across next-generation networks—from activation/deactivation to security features such as lock and wipe
3. The ability to pull a real-time image of the device over both WiMAX and the wide area network, underpinned by the OMA DM protocol
4. Application and firmware management over both WiMAX and the wide area network, underpinned by the OMA DM protocol