[By NBC-1TV E. H Kim]The Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), an international specifications setting body, confirms the deployment of its device management (DM) mobile service enablers in 1.4 billion mobile phones and connected devices worldwide. The one billion deployment milestone was first predicted by industry analyst firm Ovum, stating in a 2010 report that OMA DM would achieve one billion deployments by the end of 2011. This new number, verified through OMA member company deployments, far exceeds the original prediction. This achievement demonstrates the role of OMA DM standards in the ease and efficiency of managing mobile phones and connected devices for the global mobile industry.

“Over the last ten years, OMA has steadily added to our suite of DM specifications,” says Mark Cataldo, Chairman of the Board for OMA and Senior Adviser for Orange France Telecom. “1.4 billion deployments clearly demonstrate that device manufacturers, network operators and device management software providers recognize the value of OMA DM specifications. OMA's unprecedented success in this area proves the necessity of managing billions of devices in a standardized way, and positions us well for the billions of additional network-connected devices in the near future. OMA is already extending our device management expertise to the management of non-traditional devices, in particular in the area of M2M communication.”

OMA's suite of DM specifications includes 21 mobile service enablers and more than 60 management objects that provide simple, reliable and cost effective ways to deploy new applications and services with as little risk as possible. There are an additional 21 management objects defined by other standards organizations and fora, all of whom cooperate with OMA to avoid fragmentation and duplication of work. For example, OMA Diagnostics and Monitoring Management Object is used outside of OMA by 3GPP and WiMAX Forum. Other industry bodies have extended OMA DM to the IP environment for use with remote sensors and in automotive scenarios. OMA DM enablers easily manage converged and multi-mode devices on any network, including devices that do not have a SIM card. This extensibility is one of the key benefits of OMA DM, making it ideal for M2M communication scenarios.

“Currently, there are more than 5 billion devices, including handsets, PCs and other electronic devices connected to both mobile and IP-based networks,” says Musa Unmehopa, Chairman of the OMA Technical Plenary and Distinguished Member of Technical Staff in the Software, Services and Solutions Group at Alcatel-Lucent. “With industry expectations between 20 and 50 billion devices coming on line in the next 10 years, OMA DM remote managing and provisioning capabilities fulfill the requirements to support this explosion of new devices -- including the various characteristics and capabilities that come with each one. Standards must be a part of the new device management and M2M eco-system. The OMA 1.4 billion milestone proves that we are ready to help the industry manage this mammoth task.”

OMA is currently developing three new service enablers for M2M, with early deployments in some markets. OMA Converged Personal Network Service (CPNS) allows one device to act as a gateway in the management of other devices. OMA Gateway Management Object (GwMO) allows the management of devices through a gateway to devices that are not directly connected to the network. OMA's latest Lightweight M2M Enabler will support capability-constrained devices such as sensors, as well as remotely controlling devices without complex computing or user interface. The latest OMA Device Management release (DM 1.3) has also been modified to optimize the use of network bandwidth, as well as server and device resources.

“OMA's role in the creation of DM specifications has supported market development for device management products and services across the globe,” says Lori Sylvia, Executive Vice President of Marketing for Red Bed Software, a DM software vendor. “Red Bend is a strong supporter of DM standards, and believes that a standardized approach is the only way to manage the billions of additional devices that will be coming on line in the next few years. We see a vital role for OMA DM in these expanding markets for machine-to-machine communications. Meeting the growing variety of operator requirements for DM and M2M standards will be crucial for the success of each and every DM supporter in the industry.”

“From managing software components to updating firmware, diagnosing problems and delivering software improvements, OMA has maintained a robust development schedule and seen participation from many industry players during the last 10 years,” says Linyi Tian, Chair of OMA DM Working Group and Senior Engineer at Huawei Technologies. “Our strong and successful suite of specifications, as well as our three new enablers, easily extend to home environment services, automotive scenarios, health monitoring and even smart grid technologies. OMA believes we will reach two billion deployments in less than half the time it took to reach the first billion -- and we are well on our way.”