| Type | Public (NASDAQ: OPWV) |
|---|---|
| Industry | Mobile Data Software & Services |
| Founded | United States (August 2000)[1] |
| Founder(s) | Alain Rossmann |
| Headquarters | Redwood City, California, United States |
| Revenue | US$183.3 million (2010)[2] |
| Employees | 550+ (2011)[1] |
| Website | OPENWAVE |
Openwave (formerly software.com, phone.com, Unwired Planet, and Libris, Inc) is a software company. Based in Redwood City, California, USA, Openwave is historically significant in its introduction of the Mobile Internet and its expansion into a large successful mobile software supplier in the mobile telecom sector. Openwave is publicly traded under the ticker NASDAQ: OPWV.
Openwave pioneered HDML, a precursor to WML. Openwave was a founding member of the WAP Forum, and is currently an active member of the Open Mobile Alliance.
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The company started in 1996 as Libris, Inc. and focused on developing mobile client software for "pull" services while the general mobile market was rapidly growing "push" services based on SMS. In 1996, it changed its name to Unwired Planet, Inc. and launched its proprietary end-to-end mobile network solution for Internet access and web browsing, known as up.link (browser and network server/gateway).
In 1999, with the introduction of WAP standards, it acquired Apiion, Ltd. of Belfast (formerly Aldiscon Northern Ireland, Ltd.), changed its name to Phone.com and went public on the NASDAQ. In 2000, amidst huge growth in revenue and stock price, Phone.com acquired several high tech startup companies with niche products to integrate across its end-to-end solution. In 2001, it merged with Software.com and changed the company name again to Openwave Systems, Inc. With Software.com's large installed base of email servers at ISPs, Openwave expanded by providing its mobile operator customers with software infrastructure for mobile email applications and other multimedia messaging (MMS) applications.
The company's mobile browser software shipped on over one billion handsets[3], at one point approx 49% of the global browser-capable device shipments, over 70 mobile operators[1].
In 2002 it acquired SignalSoft Corp., the developer of Location Based Services, who developed the first platforms to provide E911 services as per the first FCC (Federal Communications Commission) requirements.
In 2004 Openwave acquired Nombas Inc., the developer of Cmm (a scripting language with C-like syntax) which was later enhanced to support ECMAScript and renamed ScriptEase.
In January 2006, Openwave closed the $120 million acquisition of Musiwave, a French music application services provider for mobile phones. In November 2007, the company sold Musiwave to Microsoft for $46 million[4].
In February 2008, Openwave launched a contextual advertising system for mobile phones[5].
In May 2008, the San Francisco Business Journal reported that NASDAQ had given Openwave a delisting warning for failing to properly report some financial results[6].
On June 30, 2008, Openwave issued a press release stating: "that Purple Labs has acquired the Openwave mobile phone software business, which develops and markets its browser and messaging client technologies." [7].
On October 18, 2010, Openwave announced: "that it licensed certain patents to Mobixell/724 Solutions Inc" as part of an intellectual property protection arrangement [8].
Major current products include:
Traffic Mediation
Data Mediation
Messaging
Earlier products included: