Apps partners sought for portable Internet-access system

ArrayComm (www.arraycomm.com) this week announced the start of its i-Burst Applications Partner program, naming six charter members that will provide applications for the i-Burst portable, high-speed, wireless Internet-access system.

Originally plans called for a live i-Burst demonstration at CTIA’s Wireless IT (www.wow-com.com), showcasing the partners’ applications; however, following the tragic events of Sept. 11, ArrayComm decided not to display at the show.

Nitin Shah, ArrayComm executive vice president, said the Application Partners program was formed to help answer the question: What does the end user do with the service?

Applications available on the Internet today can be accessed immediately through i-Burst, said Margaret Donnelly, ArrayComm director of business development for applications. “A key factor about the program is that these applications do not have to be redeveloped or rewritten to work on i-Burst because of our open IP-based architecture,” she said.

In planning for the future, ArrayComm is looking for services that are interesting for the customer and that can generate revenue for the service providers, application providers and network operators.

“The Internet has been problematic because there haven’t been revenue models that have been sustaining, so part of this is looking for better applications and new revenue streams as well as a better end-user experience for the customer,” Donnelly said.

Because i-Burst is portable, the user experience will be available wherever the customer goes. Application developers thus have a new way of distributing their applications, she said.

“Wireless hasn’t been able to deliver that rich-media user experience,” Donnelly said, but added that’s what i-Burst will provide.

For example, one partner, BroadWare (www.broadware.com), offers a remote video surveillance and monitoring system. A customer can set up multiple cameras and monitor them through the Internet. By using an i-Burst-enabled device such as a PDA or laptop, this could be done from any location. In fact, BroadWare is working with a day-care center close to its offices to set up cameras monitoring the activities of the children, so parents can keep an eye on their children via the Internet.

Today this is likely to be from a desktop PC. With i-Burst, however, a parent could do the same thing from his PDA while on the road.

Other charter partners:

American Century (www.americancentury.com), a mutual fund company (and ArrayComm investor), offers online account access and exchanges via the Internet.

Live365.com (www.live365.com) enables users to create their own Internet radio stations and listen to stations created by others. They can broadcast live or have Live365.com broadcast their stations.

PopCast (www.popcast.com) offers interactive video-communications applications that allow users to stream live or on-demand video presentations over a wireless network with built-in bandwidth-on-demand and pay-per-view commerce and revenue capabilities.

Pumatech (www.pumatech.com) provides organizations with a comprehensive suite of enterprise-level software products and services, allowing users to synchronize with multiple devices.

ReadyRouter (www.readyrouter.com) provides a toolset capable of automatically tracking and storing configurations of network devices (routers and switches) as well as restoring saved configurations to devices that have failed or have been moved or upgraded.

The program is open to any developer that has an Internet-enabled application. Partners are invited to participate in co-marketing efforts and could be selected to participate in ArrayComm’s upcoming i-Burst trials. Those interested should e-mail apps@arraycomm.com. ArrayComm also is working to build customized applications for new devices such as Internet radios and Internet-enabled cameras. It is not, however, focusing on mobile phones.

“I don’t see a phone as a great data device,” Donnelly said, adding that with 3G, users will want some types of data via their mobile phones, but not the full multimedia experience.

ArrayComm currently has spectrum in Austratia where it hopes to launch its at the end of 2002 or early 2003. In the United States, the company still is working with the FCC for spectrum allocation. Shah estimates this will happen in about 18 months.

“Every indication in the regulatory environment is very positive,” he said.