Configuremyphone API provides mobile content industry with zero-cost solution for OTA configuration
Handset configuration errors affect one in five mobile users. Apply for the free API at http://partner.configuremyphone.com/launch/ and remove the traditional cost of running OTA configuration service.
Poole (UK): 17th November 2008: Mobile phone configuration website, configuremyphone.com, has released a free API that allows mobile content companies to offer over-the-air (OTA) configuration services from within their own websites at zero-cost. The service, which remotely configures a mobile phone for data services, uses premium-rate SMS to charge the end user directly, removing all costs for the content provider. The service supports OTA configuration of mobile Internet, Java, MMS and mobile email settings on more than 1800 handsets across all major UK networks.
Handsets that aren’t correctly configured for mobile data remain a key barrier for the mobile content industry. According to research by WDS , the company behind configuremyphone, one in five UK mobile users has experienced the disappointment of an “error” message when trying to access a web service via their phone or when trying to download a mobile application or piece of content.
“We’ve spoken to a lot of mobile content companies who are acutely aware of the configuration issue and the damage it does to service adoption. Unfortunately, OTA configuration services have traditionally been costly to run and have largely been the preserve of larger content companies and mobile operators,” explains Tim Deluca-Smith, vice president of marketing at WDS , the company behind configuremyphone.
“We looked to reverse this by passing the cost onto the end-user as a support charge should they require configuration assistance. Configuremyphone is a world-first, allowing the mobile content industry to combat the handset configuration problem head-on and without major financial investment,” adds Deluca-Smith
In the past, if an end-user failed to access a piece of content or a service because of poor handset configuration they would likely abandon the download process altogether. Configuremyphone allows configuration support to be included within existing support pages or within a service or application download flow. The service quickly resolves connectivity problems and means users can get assistance without having to leave the content provider’s website for a resolution.
The API serves-up access to a simple on-screen wizard that collects the phone make and model, home network and user’s phone number before sending the necessary settings to the handset via a text message. Settings are automatically installed by accepting the incoming text message; the entire process takes less than 90 seconds.
Configuremyphone charges end users £1 for a configuration (plus standard network SMS charge). The service has been approved by UK industry regulator PhonePayPlus and includes free support for end-users should they need it. The service is operated by leading mobile device management and support company WDS who last year configured more than 250 million mobile phones on behalf of major mobile brands.
Companies can apply for the free API by visiting http://partner.configuremyphone.com/launch/
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