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Openwave joins instant messaging and SMS   
Tuesday, November 27 2001
by Louise Carroll


The Belfast team at Openwave are trialing a new instant messaging (IM) service
for Genie which is set to go live next year. 



Mobile software provider Openwave has signed a deal to provide instant messaging
systems on Genie's WAP phones. Openwave's testing team of 35 staff in Belfast are
currently trialing the system, ElectricNews.Net has learned. The new IM system is
to offer compatibility with MSN Messenger and is expected to be available in the
UK in early 2002. 



The new Openwave platform is to merge the features of SMS, WAP (short messaging
services) and IM services. The IM capabilities are going to be interoperable with
MSN Messenger, and it has been reported that Openwave is attempting to extend the
platform to Yahoo's messenger as well as AOL's highly popular IM software to
offer additional interoperability with other IM systems.



What makes the system unique is the use of instant messaging technologies in a
mobile environment, and more precisely on handheld devices such as mobile phones.
In fact, although instant messaging is hugely popular in the US it is a
relatively new phenomena in Europe. Conversely, SMS is significantly more popular
in Europe than in the US and the new platform will merge the two semi-competing
technologies. 



Genie, the mobile Internet business of mmO2, has 5.8 million registered users who
will be able to access the IM service when it goes live in early 2002. Openwave
said its software will provide Genie's subscribers with "presence" information
about their contacts, which notifies them if their buddies have logged into the
IM system whether they are on a mobile or a computer. 



Openwave also supplies Genie with unified messaging capabilities for a
recently-launched service called GenieOne. The companies have been partners for
almost two years and have continually expanded on their relationship which was
first sealed when Openwave became the provider for Genie's WAP browser and
gateway. 



In addition to Genie, Openwave said that five of the leading carriers across
Europe, Asia and the Americas are currently in trial of the company's instant
messaging solution. The company claims its IM solutions is built on industry
standards such as XML, HTTP, HTML, SMPP, WML and consults with standards-based
working groups like IMunified.org, the GSM Association and the WAP Forum.

 

As a result of the new technology employees at Openwave's Belfast office could be
spared redundancies because it is working on these new IM systems. Openwave
announced on 30 October that it is to make 300 job cuts worldwide, but has not
yet identified where the cuts are to be made. At present, the Belfast office does
not think it will be affected because 120 of its 192 staff members work in
research and development in what is Openwave's largest research and development
centre outside of the United States. 



Openwave itself is the result of a merger between Phone.com and Software.com last
year. The office in Belfast was called Apion until 1999, when it was acquired by
Phone.com. In total, Openwave is the result of 16 different start-up companies,
and the mergers have had a positive effect on the Belfast operations by bringing
them into a large corporation with long-term prospects. 

 

 

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