Openwave
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Telecommunications software |
| Predecessor | software.com, phone.com, Libris, Inc. |
| Founded | 1996 |
| Products | Video traffic management, 5G mobile technology solutions |
| Parent | Enea |
Openwave Systems Inc.—previously known as software.com, phone.com, and Libris, Inc.—operates as a subsidiary of Enea, specializing in video traffic management and 5G mobile technology solutions.
Two entities originally part of Openwave were spun off as independent ventures: Openwave Mobility and Openwave Messaging. The company played a significant role in the early stages of the Mobile Internet evolution and was instrumental in creating HDML, which served as a forerunner to WML. Additionally, it was one of the founding organizations of the WAP Forum.
History
Established in 1996 under the name Libris, Inc., the firm initially focused on developing mobile client applications for "pull"-based services utilizing Internet Protocol, during a period when the industry predominantly favored "push" services delivered via SMS. That same year, it rebranded to Unwired Planet, Inc. and introduced up.link, a proprietary platform designed to enable Internet access and web browsing.
In 1999, after the emergence of WAP standards, the company acquired Apiion, Ltd., changed its name to Phone.com, and went public on NASDAQ (NASDAQ:PHCM). The following year, it broadened its portfolio by acquiring startups with specialized technologies. In 2001, after merging with Software.com, it adopted the name Openwave Systems, Inc., leveraging Software.com’s ISP email server infrastructure to offer mobile operators solutions for mobile email and multimedia messaging (MMS).
Openwave’s mobile browser software was deployed on more than one billion devices worldwide—approximately 49% of all browser-capable handsets—and supported over 70 mobile operators globally.
In 2002, Openwave expanded its capabilities by acquiring SignalSoft Corp., an innovator in location-based services that had developed early platforms for E911 compliance.
The acquisition of Nombas Inc. in 2004 introduced Cmm scripting technology to Openwave’s portfolio, which was later upgraded to support ECMAScript through ScriptEase.
January 2006 marked Openwave’s purchase of Musiwave, a French mobile music application company founded by Gilles Babinet, for $120 million; however, Musiwave was sold to Microsoft for $46 million in November 2007. In 2007, Openwave encountered allegations concerning securities law violations related to its financial disclosures.
A contextual advertising platform for mobile devices was launched in February 2008. Despite this innovation, NASDAQ issued a delisting warning in May 2008 due to ongoing reporting irregularities.
On June 30, 2008, Purple Labs acquired Openwave’s mobile phone software division, including its browser and messaging client technologies.
In October 2010, Openwave entered into a patent licensing agreement with Mobixell/724 Solutions Inc. as part of its intellectual property protection strategy.
On May 1, 2012, Openwave divested its Mediation and Messaging product lines to Marlin Equity Partners and reverted to the Unwired Planet name, shifting its focus exclusively toward licensing and enforcing intellectual property essential to mobile communications. General counsel Noah Mesel acknowledged this transition toward patent portfolio management amid accusations of patent trolling.
The former product divisions were relaunched as independent companies: Openwave Mobility Inc. and Openwave Messaging Inc.
In 2013, Openwave Messaging acquired Critical Path.
On March 2, 2016, Synchronoss Technologies completed the acquisition of Openwave Messaging; it subsequently operated under the name Synchronoss Messaging. As of April 2016, ownership of Openwave Mobility remained with Marlin Equity Partners.
In February 2018, Enea finalized the purchase of Openwave Mobility for $90 million.
Products
The primary product lineup comprises:
Openwave Mobility
- Integra platform
- Media Optimizer
- Mobile Analytics
- Promotion Pricing & Innovation
- Smart User Repository
Previous solutions included:
- Openwave: Email Kx, Mobile Access Gateway (MAG), Mobile Browser, Mobile Messaging client
- Openwave Messaging: Email Mx, Network Message Store, Voice and Video Messaging, App Suite, Rich Mail, Edge GX
- Unwired Planet: UP.Link Browser, UP.Link Server