Mformation taking over Clearwire device management

Mformation Technologies today revealed it is handling device management on all of Clearwire’s WiMAX network, expanding the contract it announced with Sprint for its Xohm network last year to all Clearwire (NASDAQ:CLWR) devices, retail and wholesale.

Mformation’s Service Manager platform will handle activation, provisioning, diagnostics and management for every device on Clearwire’s network, whether offered directly from Clearwire or from one of its mobile virtual network operator partners such as Sprint or Comcast. While Mformation has done device management for dozens of other mobile operators, Clearwire’s WiMAX network is unique in that Mformation won’t be tracking a traditional cellphone.

Clearwire’s devices don’t have phone numbers that identify each subscriber and his or her service subscription. Nor do they have unique device-identifying numbers used to provision service and assign numbers to individual phones. Instead, Clearwire and other WiMAX operators use a combination of media access control (MAC) addresses—of which there can be multiple on a single device—and IP addresses—which can be reassigned every time a user logs into the network.

Using information from the Open Mobile Alliance Device Management (OMA-DM) client on each device, Mformation’s platform identifies a device accessing the network, ensures it is configured for the Clear network properly and relays information on what services have been provisioned to Clearwire’s AAA servers, said Rob Dalgety, marketing director for Mformation.

Clearwire has taken an open-network approach to its 4G service, allowing any properly configured WiMAX device to access the network, whether it is sold directly by Clearwire or comes off the shelf. In addition, Clearwire will support countless devices from its MVNO partners. Sprint has already announced plans to offer WiMAX/EV-DO dual-mode handsets and data cards as well as use WiMAX to get back into the residential broadband business. Cable partners Comcast, Time Warner and Brighthouse all have indicated they will use WiMAX devices to supplement their own home broadband and video services. Meanwhile investor Google could use WiMAX as a stepping stone directly into the mobile computing business.

While a typical US cellular operator might support a few dozen phones and devices on their network at any one time, Clearwire will eventually support hundreds, if not thousands. “It’s a new device model,” Dalgety said. “Irrespective of what device it is and whether it’s being used by a Clearwire customer or a customer of one of Clearwire’s partners, we’ll support it.”