CellTrust - Top Wireless Company 2008: FierceWireless, Fierce 15

CellTrust

Where it's based: Scottsdale, Ariz.
When it was founded: 2006
Website: www.celltrust.com

Why it's Fierce: CellTrust's SecureSMS product solves a big gap in the SMS delivery world by offering its clients--government agencies, banks and mobile marketing firms-a way to deliver encrypted SMS messages to customers and providing a notification when the person receives the text and when they open the message. According to Sean Moshir, CEO and founder of CellTrust, the company has a system that can encrypt the SMS message and send it through a secure gateway. Then when the SMS reaches its destination handset it must be de-encrypted with a security key. All keys are unique and rotating so that no key can be compromised.

CellTrust's technology does require a client be downloaded to the handset for it to work. However, Moshir says that the company's SMS gateway knows which handsets have the client and which ones don't. When a secure SMS is sent to a handset without a client, a link is included which lets the user download the client directly to their handset.

Moshir and his colleagues at CellTrust have a background in Internet security and they credit their familiarity with government encryption requirements with helping them get a head-start in this area. The firm recently inked a deal with market research provider MarketTools to deliver surveys to mobile users in real time and capture consumer feedback. In addition, CellTrust's technology is being used by Celly Corp., which allows customers to order and pay for food by sending a text message from their cell phone.

What to look for: Because of Moshir and his team's expertise in Internet security, look for CellTrust to ink a deal with a government agency or bank that needs an encrypted SMS solution.