LIBERTYVILLE, Ill., and LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif., Sept. 29, 2003 (PRIMEZONE) -- Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) and Bitfone Corporation (www.bitfone.com) today announced that the two companies have signed a global agreement for the deployment of Bitfone's over-the-air (OTA) firmware update solution, mProve(tm), for the purpose of upgrading software in handsets within the Motorola Personal Communications Sector (PCS) portfolio. This agreement follows the previously announced investment into Bitfone by Motorola Ventures.
Motorola will use mProve 3.0 to update the core embedded software on mobile devices over the air. The technology is aimed at reducing customer support costs and increasing customer satisfaction by servicing mobile phones while in the end-users' hands. "Bitfone's OTA software upgrade technology will support Motorola in our efforts to provide the best mobile experience for our customers," said Ruchi Mangalik, director of Software Portfolio for Motorola's Personal Communication Sector. "We chose Bitfone's mProve for this initiative because it offers excellent performance and a robust end-to-end solution. Bitfone has proven to be a flexible and dependable business alliance for Motorola."
"We are honored to provide the OTA technology for this ground-breaking initiative with one of the leading mobile technology manufacturers in the world," said Gene Wang, chairman and CEO for Bitfone. "With mProve's standards-based design and down-to-the-metal(tm) update capability, Motorola will make mobile phone maintenance as easy as making a phone call.
Under the terms of the agreement, Motorola will have a global license to use the complete mProve 3.0 product suite, including the Generator, PRISM(tm), Delivery Server and handset Agents. Motorola's Customer Service and Support (CSS) division will use mProve to issue the OTA firmware updates to end-users directly or through their wireless service provider. The mProve solution is currently being integrated into Motorola handsets that are planned for availability to consumers in 2004.
About Motorola
Motorola, Inc. (NYSE:MOT) is a global leader in wireless, automotive and broadband communications. Sales in 2002 were $27.3 billion. Motorola is a global corporate citizen dedicated to ethical business practices and pioneering important innovations that make things smarter and life better -- honored traditions that began when the company was founded 75 years ago. For more information, please visit www.motorola.com.
About Bitfone
Bitfone Corporation provides innovative software solutions for mobile device management. Bitfone's mProve(tm) is the wireless industry's leading technology that updates a mobile phone's core embedded operating system over the air, in a secure and fault-tolerant manner. mProve offers wireless manufacturers and carriers significant cost savings in the areas of warranty, recall and customer service, and expedites the time to market for mobile phones. Bitfone is a global company headquartered in Laguna Niguel, California, with offices in China, Finland, Japan and Korea. Bitfone's investors include Nokia Venture Partners, St. Paul Venture Capital, 3i, Nexit Ventures, Motorola, Inc., Orange Ventures, KTB Ventures and CIR Ventures. For more information, please visit www.bitfone.com.
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