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Managing mobile devices

Mobile Device Management gives service providers the ability to recognise the capability of a mobile handset and deliver services accordingly, says Abhinav Singh

Mobile phones have revolutionised communication, and the industry is going through a technology upgrade cycle right now. Imagine a mobile phone subscriber who wishes to change some functions in his mobile handset. He calls a customer care executive but is unable to make changes on his handset as per the latter’s instructions. The frustration levels of a subscriber are bound to increase in this situation.

There’s a technology to solve this problem and it’s called Mobile Device Management (MDM). It lets a customer change his mobile settings on the move. This is just one example of how MDM can help mobile handset users. SmartTrust, a provider of mobile software solutions to network and telecom operators, has done extensive work in this space and provides MDM solutions that help mobile service providers save time and money and increase their revenues through high performance management of SIM cards and mobile terminals through value added services. SmartTrust’s solutions and services are on a pilot run at Bharti Telecom.

MDM solutions are installed on a service provider’s system as well as the customer’s instrument. Some solutions sit at the network server-end, while some go into the subscriber’s SIM card.

Device diagnostics

This technology helps in device diagnostics, also known as device discovery. Since it enables a mobile service provider to identify which mobile handset the subscriber is using, it can help trace a mobile handset in case one is lost or stolen. Says Sharad Arora, Region Manager, India of SmartTrust, “Even if a customer changes his handset, the mobile operator will come to know about it through the software component attached to the SIM card. In case a SIM card is entered into a new handset it will be in a position to configure the new handset and relevant applications will be available in the new handset.”

Managing SIM card settings

Even if a customer changes his handset, the mobile operator will come to know about it through the software component attached to the SIM card Sharad Arora region manager, India SmartTrust

Currently, functions such as WAP, e-mail access, MMS and GPRS are being configured through MDM technology. Going forward, we can expect advanced and complex configurations being undertaken through the air for different mobile phones. MDM technology can help in the management of SIM card settings and updates to the device’s operating system or firmware over-the-air (FOTA). For instance, in many cases the mobile handset purchased by a subscriber has limited functionalities, even as new functionalities are being continuously introduced in the market. Now with MDM in place the existing handset of a mobile user can be upgraded by using FOTA through a process initiated from the service provider’s end.

SmartTrust’s technology is handset-independent and supports all GSM and CDMA phones with Remote User Identity Module. The service is a boon to those customers who have MMS and GPRS-enabled handsets but do not know how to use them. It helps users fully utilise these services. Arora explains, “A customer’s mobile handset can have 17 or 18 different unutilised functions which he may not even be aware of. By using MDM technology, a customer is able to utilise them and make the best use of his handset.” At the same time, MDM helps the mobile service operator maintain better customer satisfaction levels.

MDM technology helps mobile users back up their data on a regular basis on the network server at the service provider’s end. Frequently-used information such as bookmarks and address book entries can be backed up using MDM, and in case a SIM gets destroyed or lost, the backed up information can be retrieved immediately from the network server.

Adoption set to increase

Although the adoption of MDM in India is in its infancy, with the likes of Bharti running pilot projects, it’s expected to grow rapidly. Meanwhile, SmartTrust has customers in Finland, Britain, Germany, Italy, Spain, Malaysia, China, Singapore, Brazil and the United States who are reaping the benefits of this technology. Some of SmartTrust’s customers using MDM include Vodafone UK, Vodafone Egypt, D2, Telenor, Sonofon, Cosmote, MTN, T-Mobile, Cingular Wireless, Claro, SMART Communications, M1 and Satelindo.

According to market sources, MDM technology will prove indispensable in helping mobile operators realise nearly $250 million in customer care savings related to diagnosing and resolving issues concerning incorrect network settings on the handset. As devices become more complex and costlier to replace, mobile service providers want to update firmware. It has been noted that nearly five million handsets were subject to a firmware recall last year. It is foreseen that by 2010, MDM will provide operators with annual savings in customer care costs of $1.4 billion.

Network servers will be able to automatically detect any defect in a subscriber’s mobile handset and rectify the fault. However, how much more customers will have to shell out for availing MDM services from their mobile service providers is not yet known. For a price-sensitive market, cost will be a factor in MDM’s popularity—or the lack of it. But in India, where the number of mobile subscribers has already outnumbered landline subscribers and mobile tariffs are among the lowest in the world, technologies such as MDM have immense potential.

abhinav@expresscomputeronline.com