LightSurf
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Wireless multimedia messaging, software |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Founder | Philippe Kahn, Sonia Lee |
| Defunct | 2009 |
| Fate | Acquired by VeriSign in 2008, then by Syniverse Technologies in 2009 |
| Headquarters | Santa Cruz County , United States |
| Products | LightSurf 6 Open Standards MMS Platform |
LightSurf specialized in delivering multimedia messaging and interoperability solutions tailored for the wireless sector. The company was launched in 1998 by entrepreneurs Philippe Kahn and Sonia Lee. It was subsequently acquired by VeriSign in 2008, followed by a purchase by the telecommunications provider Syniverse Technologies in 2009.
History
The inception of LightSurf dates back to 1998 when it was founded by Philippe Kahn and Sonia Lee.
In 2005, VeriSign completed the acquisition of LightSurf. Following a period of strategic realignment and restructuring, LightSurf's technologies and assets were merged into VeriSign's "Messaging and Mobile Media" division. This division was later sold to Syniverse Technologies at the end of 2009.
Products
The premier product from LightSurf was the LightSurf 6 Open Standards MMS Platform, a hosted and managed MMS service. This platform enabled users to create, view, annotate, and exchange multimedia messages seamlessly across any mobile device or email address, independent of the handset model, file format, or network carrier.
LightSurf was a pioneer in introducing North America's initial mobile picture messaging services over GSM and GPRS networks. The company also launched the first inter-carrier MMS solution within the region and facilitated the transmission of more than 400 million media messages on Sprint’s network.