Openwave

Openwave is a telecommunications software brand whose roots lie in the early development of the mobile Internet. The business began in 1996 as Libris, Inc., initially pursuing software for Internet Protocol-based mobile information services at a time when the wireless industry was dominated by SMS and other push-oriented services. Later that year, it adopted the name Unwired Planet and introduced the up.link software platform, which combined a mobile browser with server and gateway functions for accessing Internet content from wireless devices. The company became Phone.com in 1999 after the introduction of the Wireless Application Protocol, or WAP, and the acquisition of Apiion, a Belfast-based communications software company. Phone.com went public on NASDAQ and expanded through acquisitions intended to broaden its mobile software portfolio. Its work on HDML, a predecessor to WML, helped establish some of the technical foundations of early mobile browsing. The company was also a founding member of the WAP Forum, an industry group that helped develop standards for delivering Internet services to mobile devices. In 2001, Phone.com merged with Software.com and adopted the name Openwave Systems, Inc. Software.com's installed base of email-server technology allowed Openwave to extend beyond browsing into mobile email, multimedia messaging, messaging infrastructure and related operator software. Openwave marketed products to mobile network operators and Internet service providers rather than primarily to consumers. Its browser software was deployed on a very large number of handsets and was used across dozens of mobile operators during the expansion of the first mass-market mobile Internet. The company continued to add network and application capabilities through acquisitions. SignalSoft, acquired in 2002, brought location-based services technology, including platforms associated with early emergency-location deployments. Nombas, acquired in 2004, contributed scripting technology that Openwave later developed under the ScriptEase name. In 2006, Openwave acquired Musiwave, a French provider of mobile music application services, for $120 million; Musiwave was sold to Microsoft in 2007 for $46 million. Openwave also experimented with newer mobile advertising and content-management opportunities. In 2008 it introduced a contextual advertising system for mobile phones. During the same period, however, the company faced reporting and listing difficulties, including allegations concerning securities-law compliance and a NASDAQ delisting warning related to financial reporting. These events formed part of a broader transition in the company's business and corporate structure. In 2008, Purple Labs acquired Openwave's mobile-phone software business, including browser and messaging-client technologies. Openwave subsequently concentrated increasingly on intellectual property and on selected enterprise and operator software assets. In 2012, it sold its Mediation and Messaging product businesses to Marlin Equity Partners and changed its corporate name back to Unwired Planet. The divested operating activities were later associated with two privately held businesses, Openwave Mobility and Openwave Messaging. Openwave Messaging acquired Critical Path in 2013 and was acquired by Synchronoss Technologies in 2016, becoming part of Synchronoss Messaging. Openwave Mobility remained under Marlin Equity Partners for a period and was acquired by Enea in 2018 for $90 million. The Openwave name therefore became associated both with a historical mobile-software pioneer and with successor businesses focused on mobile traffic management, analytics, messaging and 5G network technologies. Under Enea, Openwave provides products such as traffic and media optimization, mobile analytics and subscriber-data capabilities. Its historical importance rests on helping make web access, email and other Internet services practical on early mobile handsets.

Openwave traces its origins to Libris, Inc., founded in 1996 to develop client software for mobile Internet services delivered through Internet Protocol networks. The company soon changed its name to Unwired Planet and created the up.link platform, combining a browser with server and gateway components for wireless web access. This work addressed an emerging problem: how to adapt Internet services to handsets and constrained mobile networks before smartphones and mobile broadband became widespread. The company helped shape early mobile-web standards and technologies. Its HDML technology preceded WML, the markup language associated with WAP, and Openwave was among the founding members of the WAP Forum. In 1999, after acquiring Apiion, the business became Phone.com and listed on NASDAQ. It used the public-company capital and the growing interest in wireless data to acquire specialist technology companies and expand its mobile software portfolio. Phone.com merged with Software.com in 2001 and took the name Openwave Systems, Inc. The combination added Software.com's established email-server business to Phone.com's mobile-browser and operator-platform activities. Openwave consequently supplied infrastructure for mobile email, multimedia messaging, browsing and related services. Its browser software achieved exceptionally broad deployment during the early mobile Internet era, reportedly shipping on more than one billion handsets and reaching a substantial share of browser-capable device shipments across more than 70 operators. Expansion continued through acquisitions. SignalSoft, purchased in 2002, supplied location-based-services technology and platforms used in early E911 implementations. In 2004, Openwave acquired Nombas, whose Cmm scripting technology was subsequently enhanced for ECMAScript compatibility and renamed ScriptEase. The 2006 acquisition of Musiwave added mobile music application services. Openwave later sold Musiwave to Microsoft in 2007. The late 2000s brought both product development and corporate pressure. Openwave launched contextual advertising for mobile phones in 2008, but it also encountered allegations concerning securities-law and financial-reporting matters. A NASDAQ delisting warning was reported in the same period. Openwave then disposed of important operating assets: Purple Labs acquired the mobile-phone software business in 2008, and in 2012 Marlin Equity Partners acquired the Mediation and Messaging businesses. The company changed its name back to Unwired Planet and focused more heavily on licensing and enforcing its mobile-communications patent portfolio. The divested operating activities continued through successor businesses. Openwave Messaging acquired Critical Path in 2013 and was acquired by Synchronoss Technologies in 2016. Openwave Mobility remained associated with Marlin Equity Partners until Enea acquired it in 2018. Under Enea, the Openwave name is used for mobile-network and traffic-management products, including media optimization, analytics, subscriber repositories and other technologies aimed at communications-service providers. Openwave's history therefore spans three related phases: pioneering wireless web access, building operator messaging and application infrastructure, and supplying specialized mobile-network software and intellectual-property assets.

• 2018

  Enea acquires Openwave Mobility

  [1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  Enea purchases Openwave Mobility, adding its mobile traffic-management and related 5G software capabilities.

• 2016

  Openwave Messaging joins Synchronoss

  [1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  Synchronoss Technologies acquires Openwave Messaging and operates it as Synchronoss Messaging.

• 2012

  Mediation and Messaging businesses are sold

  [1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  Marlin Equity Partners acquires the product businesses, while Openwave returns to the Unwired Planet name and emphasizes intellectual property.

• 2008

  Mobile-phone software business is sold

  [1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  Purple Labs acquires Openwave's mobile browser and messaging-client software business.

• 2006

  Musiwave acquisition closes

  [1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  Openwave completes its acquisition of French mobile music-services provider Musiwave.

• 2004

  Nombas is acquired

  [1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  The acquisition adds Cmm scripting technology, later developed as ScriptEase.

• 2002

  SignalSoft is acquired

  [1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  Openwave acquires SignalSoft, adding location-based-services and emergency-location technology.

• 2001

  Phone.com merges with Software.com

  [1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  The merger combines mobile-web technology with large-scale email-server infrastructure and produces Openwave Systems, Inc.

• 1999

  Phone.com is formed and listed

  [1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  After acquiring Apiion, Unwired Planet changes its name to Phone.com and becomes a NASDAQ-listed company.

• 1996

  Libris is founded and becomes Unwired Planet

  [1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  The company begins as Libris, Inc. and later in the year adopts the Unwired Planet name while developing mobile Internet client and gateway software.

• 1996

  UP.Link platform is introduced

  [1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  Unwired Planet launches UP.Link, a browser and network-server platform for wireless Internet access.

A business-to-business telecommunications software brand serving mobile operators and communications-service providers, with historical strength in mobile browsing and messaging and a later emphasis on network traffic management, analytics, 5G and operator infrastructure.

• Mobile Internet platform · 1996

  UP.Link Browser and UP.Link Server

  The original Unwired Planet platform combined a handset browser with server and gateway software. It was designed to make Internet content accessible over early wireless networks and formed the technical basis for the company's subsequent mobile-web business.

• Mobile browser

  Openwave Mobile Browser

  Openwave's mobile browser software was distributed by handset manufacturers and mobile operators during the feature-phone era. It supported early wireless web standards and reportedly reached more than one billion handsets over its commercial lifetime.

• Messaging infrastructure

  Openwave Messaging

  The Openwave Messaging business supplied operator and service-provider products for email, multimedia messaging, voice and video messaging, hosted mail and related subscriber communications. Its portfolio included Email Mx, Network Message Store, App Suite, Rich Mail and Edge GX.

• Mobile-network software

  Openwave Mobility Integra

  Integra is a platform associated with Openwave Mobility's network-software portfolio. The product line is aimed at communications providers managing mobile traffic, service policies and evolving network requirements.

• Video traffic management

  Media Optimizer

  Media Optimizer is positioned as a network product for managing and improving the delivery of video and other media traffic across mobile networks. It reflects Openwave's later focus on bandwidth efficiency and operator control of high-volume content.

• Telecommunications analytics

  Mobile Analytics

  Openwave's mobile-analytics offering provides tools for analyzing traffic and service behavior in mobile networks. The available reference identifies the product line but does not provide detailed technical specifications.

• Subscriber-data platform

  Smart User Repository

  Smart User Repository is a subscriber-data and policy-related platform in the Openwave Mobility portfolio. It is intended for operator environments that need centralized handling of user and service information.

• 2008

  NASDAQ delisting warning

  NASDAQ reportedly warned Openwave about possible delisting after the company failed to properly report certain financial results.

  Source

• 2007

  Securities-law and financial-reporting allegations

  Openwave faced allegations concerning securities-law violations related to financial reporting. The supplied reference does not establish the final legal or regulatory disposition.

  Source

Read more

• 2018

  Enea acquires Openwave MobilityM&A

  Background

  Enea sought to expand its telecommunications software portfolio with mobile traffic-management and network products.

  Action taken

  Enea purchased Openwave Mobility for $90 million.

  Aftermath

  Openwave Mobility became part of Enea and continued as the source of Openwave-branded mobile-network products.

  Acquisition price. $90 million (2018)

  Source

• 2012

  Shift toward intellectual-property licensingStrategy

  Background

  Openwave sold its remaining Mediation and Messaging product businesses to Marlin Equity Partners.

  Action taken

  The company changed its name to Unwired Planet and focused primarily on licensing and enforcing patents associated with mobile communications.

  Aftermath

  The operating product activities continued through successor companies including Openwave Mobility and Openwave Messaging.

  Source

• 2008

  Divest the mobile-phone software businessM&A

  Background

  Openwave was restructuring its portfolio amid pressure in its mobile software business.

  Action taken

  Purple Labs acquired the mobile browser and messaging-client software business.

  Aftermath

  The transaction separated a major portion of Openwave's handset-software operations from the remaining company.

  Source

• 2001

  Merge with Software.com and adopt the Openwave nameM&A

  Background

  Phone.com sought to combine its mobile-browser and wireless-platform capabilities with Software.com's established email-server business.

  Action taken

  The companies merged and the combined business became Openwave Systems, Inc.

  Aftermath

  Openwave expanded into mobile email, multimedia messaging and operator messaging infrastructure.

  Source

• 2018

  Enea acquires Openwave Mobility[1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Enea acquired Openwave Mobility for $90 million, bringing its mobile traffic-management and related operator software into Enea's portfolio.

• 2016

  Synchronoss acquires Openwave Messaging[1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Synchronoss Technologies acquired Openwave Messaging, which subsequently operated under the Synchronoss Messaging name.

• 2013

  Openwave Messaging acquires Critical Path[1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Openwave Messaging acquired Critical Path, expanding its position in hosted and operator messaging services.

• 2012

  Openwave sells Mediation and Messaging businesses[1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Openwave completed the sale of its Mediation and Messaging product businesses to Marlin Equity Partners and changed its corporate name back to Unwired Planet.

• 2010

  Openwave licenses patents to Mobixell and 724 Solutions[1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  Other

  Openwave announced a patent license involving Mobixell and 724 Solutions as part of an intellectual-property protection arrangement.

• 2008

  Openwave launches contextual mobile advertising[1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  Product launch

  Openwave introduced a contextual advertising system designed for mobile phones.

• 2008

  Purple Labs acquires Openwave mobile-phone software business[1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Purple Labs acquired Openwave's mobile-phone software business, including browser and messaging-client technologies.

• 2007

  Openwave sells Musiwave to Microsoft[1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Openwave sold Musiwave to Microsoft for $46 million, less than two years after acquiring the mobile music specialist.

• 2006

  Openwave acquires Musiwave[1]Openwaveen.wikipedia.org

  M&A

  Openwave completed the acquisition of French mobile music application provider Musiwave for $120 million.

1. 1Openwaveen.wikipedia.org