Devicescape, provider of a virtualized carrier Wi-Fi network, aims to attract telecom operators with a major overhaul to its Wi-Fi service platform that includes a new suite of access, engagement and insight services.
"Telecom operators today are focused on services that are constrained to the reach of their own networks. That strategy is problematic, because they only capture a minority portion of the customer experience, since most of the time is spent on Wi-Fi," said Devicescape CEO Dave Fraser. He added the company's new services portfolio will help operators gauge the customer experience across both cellular and Wi-Fi networks.
Devicescape's Curated Virtual Network (CVN) counts 20 million hotspots worldwide. The company uses crowdsourcing to expand its CVN, with Devicescape software running on millions of handsets around the world and gathering data on new and existing hotspots.
The company's updated Wi-Fi service platform for operators seeks to exploit and fill a knowledge gap experienced by any telco that has customers whose portable devices use third-party Wi-Fi networks for data communications access. The platform also targets the rapidly growing market for proximity marketing.
Devicescape's access services rely upon operator policies as well as mobile data user preferences to dynamically identify the best network for each customer, with options including cellular, private Wi-Fi, public Wi-Fi, carrier Wi-Fi and the curated Wi-Fi hotspot network that is available when roaming. The company's services platform can adapt to real-time changes in network conditions and switch a user's smartphone, tablet or PC to a different network as needed to gain performance or cost savings or both.
In addition, Devicescape's engagement services are aimed at helping operators deliver brand messaging while also aiding venue owners that want to develop in-store mobile marketing. The company said its Popwifi network is already in use at millions of locations across the CVN.
A third component of Devicescape's updated service suite involves tools that deliver intelligence on customer activity and behavior when they are connected to Wi-Fi. Metrics compiled include aggregate usage reporting, subscriber Wi-Fi content delivery records (CDRs), detailed user analytics and big data feeds.
Devicescape provides Wi-Fi offload services for mobile operators and OEMs, including Leap Wireless (NASDAQ:LEAP), which is being acquired by AT&T (NYSE:T); U.S. Cellular; T-Mobile US' (NYSE:TMUS) MetroPCS unit; C Spire; MVNO Republic Wireless; Intel; and Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT), deployed by Verizon (NYSE:VZ).
In November, the company was awarded the 2013 Fierce Innovation Award in the Traffic Offload category.
For more:
- see this Devicescape release
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