Synchronica Enables Backup and Restore for the Masses

3GSM, Barcelona, Stand 2.1C17, Hall 2.1, February 12, 2007. - Synchronica plc, an international provider of mobile synchronization and device management solutions, announced today a new backup and restore solution to mobile operators and Application Service Providers (ASP) that will allow them to generate additional revenue streams from consumers. As a part of the device management suite Mobile Manager 2.5, this new module allows operators and ASPs to offer consumers a subscription-based mobile backup and restore service that will seamlessly enable the return of lost data in the event of the device being lost or stolen.

Subscribers today often value the data residing on their phone - contact details, SMS messages and calendar entries - higher than the device itself, so a technology that ensures the return of lost data is becoming increasingly invaluable.

Already in 2004, the research group Zelos found that 15-20 percent of mobile subscribers expressed a strong need for a mechanism to back up data with 66 percent ranking contact data as the top priority - a service that consumers were willing to pay for up to £3 per month. The need has probably increased by now, since consumers today rely more and more on their mobile devices as the primary repository for vital contact information.

"Mobile operators are always looking for new revenue streams - OTA backup and restore service may be the first mobile data application beyond SMS which will be successful in the mass market", said Synchronica CEO Carsten Brinkschulte. "For many consumers, the mobile phone has become their main communication method and they often use only the phone's address book to store phone numbers. If they lose their phone, they lose contact to their social network. Think of our Mobile Manager Backup and Restore as an insurance policy for your personal data."

As well as providing a safety net for consumers who lose their phones, a backup and restore service also makes upgrading to a new phone easier. Customers can use the backup and restore facility to transfer their personal information over the air to their new phone.

One of the first customers using Synchronica's backup and restore solution is the mobile operator NetCom with 1.4 million subscribers, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the TeliaSonera Group that has more than 22 million subscribers in the Nordic and Baltic region.

"We wanted to be able to offer our customers an OTA backup and restore facility for their personal data which would mean that a change of phone - either due to loss or upgrading - would not mean losing all important information", said Arne Igesund, Manager of Data Services at NetCom. "With the Synchronica solution we can provide our customers with seamless data migration from one device to another, quickly and easily. We also liked the fact that Synchronica's software is based on the SyncML open standard, meaning it works on a wide range of devices."

Synchronica's Mobile Manager backup and restore module is based entirely on the dominant SyncML / OMA DS industry standard supported by the majority of feature phones and smartphones from all leading vendors. Unlike other solutions, it does not require a client to be installed on the device, but instead uses the built-in SyncML client of the device. Since it does not require an additional client, it works with mass market feature phones - a clear requirement for a successful product introduction in the consumer market.

The solution includes built-in connectors to carrier-grade Personal Information Management (PIM) systems such as Sun Java Enterprise System providing a web interface for end users to view and edit their data. Alternatively, it can be integrated with existing address books and PIM systems using its flexible plugin architecture.

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About Synchronica

Synchronica plc develops and markets synchronization and device management solutions for mobile operators, device manufacturers and enterprises. Its product portfolio ranges from data synchronization (DS) to device management (DM) and firmware update over the air (FOTA). The company has deployed the world's first live installation of a device management suite in a carrier-grade environment. Products include the mobile device management suite Mobile Manager and the push email and synchronization solution Mobile Gateway. Headquartered in the UK with a development center in Berlin, Synchronica plc is a public company listed on the London Stock Exchange (SYNC.LN). More information is available at http://www.synchronica.com

For more information, please contact:

Nicole Meissner, CMO
Synchronica plc
Tel.: +44 1892 552 780
Mobile: +44 7977 256 412
Fax: +44 1892 552 721
nicole.meissner@synchronica.com

This release was published on openPR.