As mobile operators seek to deliver more advanced services to subscribers – such as mobile video, mobile Internet, mobile VoIP and other multimedia services – they will need the means for quickly and reliably updating software, firmware and operating systems on mobile handsets “over-the-air.”

But with so many different models of handsets -- some new, some not-so-new -- running on their networks, operators are facing new challenges in terms of delivering remote updates that enable new capabilities. As such, today’s handset makers must ensure that their phones can support new technologies two or three years from when their handsets are sold. If the mobile industry is to deliver on its promise for advanced new technologies, the handset makers are going to have to work closely with the mobile operators to ensure that both existing and yet-to-be-sold handsets can be remotely updated effectively and reliably.

Leading the pack in providing mobile remote updating solutions is Massachusetts-based Red Bend Software. The company’s innovative Mobile Software Management and Firmware Over-the-Air (FOTA) updating solutions help handset makers and mobile operators accelerate the adoption of new services and features, respond rapidly to customer needs, and reduce support costs. Leading handset makers including LG Electronics, Motorola (News - Alert), NEC, Sharp and Sony Ericsson are already making use of the company’s solutions to quickly and reliably deliver compact firmware updates to millions of mobile phones worldwide.

Red Bend today announced that its vCurrent Mobile software shipped on a record 45 million mobile phones in the second quarter of 2007, bringing the total number of phones shipped with the software to 150 million. This exceeds Red Bend’s Q2 forecast by 10 million, and represents an increase of 43 percent over the first quarter, when there were 105 million phones shipped with vCurrent Mobile. In addition, Red Bend reports that 19 mobile phone models were launched with vCurrent Mobile during the second quarter, bringing the total number of Red Bend-enabled handsets to 95. The company predicts that its software will ship on 200 million handsets by end of Q3.

Helping to further propel this record growth is the introduction of Version 5 of vCurrent Mobile, which became available June 30. This new version features Background Updates, which allows firmware updates to be performed while phones are in use. Previously the mobile phone had to be powered down during the update, which could take up to 10 minutes.

Version 5 also includes Revertible Updates, which enables operators to offer new features and applications during a trial period, and then remove the software from the phone if the consumer does not subscribe. The company also claims to have achieved performance improvements to the update file size and resource requirements. These accomplishments, the company hopes, will help drive consumer acceptance of remote software updating.

In a recent industry report, Tony Rizzo, sector head with The 451 Group, a technology industry analyst company, said “Red Bend already had the tightest FOTA code generation capability; the new release raises the bar again. Coupled with the toolset announced earlier this year for component management, the new capabilities do indeed also raise the bar on this end.”

Commenting on the record growth for its FOTA solution, Yoram Salinger, CEO of Red Bend, said: “Our record of performance and innovation continues to prove the value that Red Bend and FOTA bring to our customers and the mobile market.”

Red Bend recently announced its first customer win in China with the addition of T3G Technology. The company also recently signed two license agreements to bring Red Bend FOTA-enabled devices to market in 2008, bringing the total number of licensees to 13.

Red Bend also recently expanded its licensing agreements with two existing customers to provide vCurrent Mobile to new platforms.

For more information, visit www.redbend.com.

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Patrick Barnard is Associate Editor for Customer Interaction Solutions magazine and Assignment Editor for TMCnet. To see more of his articles, please visit Patrick Barnard’s columnist page.