Inktomi Corp. Tuesday unleashed a
broad initiative to deliver infrastructure software to wireless data operators.
The push into wireless content delivery is just part of Inktomi’s (INKT)
new portal services and network products. The Internet infrastructure
software developer also locked-up six new alliances to help expand its
reach into the wireless marketplace.
Inktomi established a long-term strategic investment and alliance with AirFlash.com Inc. for mobile phone
Internet services. Additional alliances with the Cap Gemini Group and Portal Software, Inc. facilitate
Inktomi’s ability to provision and bill for wireless content and applications.
Inktomi teamed up with Hewlett-Packard Co. for its
wireless hardware platform and Sun
Microsystems Inc. for its wireless infrastructure solution set. Deals
with Spyglass Inc. for content
transformation and Gwcom Inc. to
enable advanced mobile commerce services and round-out Inktomi’s push into
wireless services.
David Peterschmidt, Inktomi president and chief executive officer, said its
wireless initiative would firmly plant Inktomi as the heir apparent of the
global wireless infrastructure service market.
“In the coming years we will invest significantly in this growth area,
leveraging our leadership position in the Internet infrastructure to become
the de-facto provider of core technology for the wireless Internet,”
Peterschmidt said. “The news is the first milestone of many to come from
Inktomi as we become essential to the Internet.”
Inktomi acquired an equity stake in AirFlash who in return, will integrate
Inktomi’s search, directory and commerce functions into its location-based technology.
The deal enables mobile network operators and Internet portals to deliver
personalized content and commerce designed for mobile users.
Inktomi and Portal Software (PRSF), a business infrastructure software provider for Internet communications
services, plan to develop a platform for wireless content and applications
delivery. The proposed joint solution would provide wireless operators with
a scalable, integrated infrastructure for the provisioning, delivery and
billing of wireless Internet content and applications.
Inktomi’s agreement with management consulting and systems integration firm
CAP Gemini, was built to deliver turnkey integration services based on the
integrated Inktomi-Portal platform.
The new alliance will provide wireless operators and Internet portals the
infrastructure required to support applications based on three wireless
protocols including General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Universal Mobile
Telecommunications Services (UMTS) and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP).
Jean-Marie Personeni, CAP Gemini Telemedia Lab chief technology officer,
said its integration with Inktomi will enable the deployment of a flexible
and scalable platform to support wireless service provisioning and
delivery, and real-time billing.
“The combination of Inktomi and Portal Software technologies delivered by
CAP Gemini allows mobile data service providers the benefit of faster
time-to-market and competitive service differentiation,” Personeni said.
By teaming up with Hewlett-Packard (HWP),
Inktomi anchors its traffic service as the core of HP’s Mobile E-services
platform. The integrated set of hardware, software and services f
orm the
foundation for business-critical mobile solutions.
Inktomi and Sun (SUNW)
plan to build upon Sun’s iFORCE wireless infrastructure solution to
enable the delivery of wireless commerce, communication and content
services for wireless operators. Under the iFORCE agreement, Sun, Inktomi
and iPlanet, an offspring of the
Sun-Netscape Communications
Corp. alliance, will work together to jointly market and sell the
wireless infrastructure solution to service providers.
Inktomi and Spyglass (SPYG)
extended their alliance to deliver a content transformation solution. The
two will work together to transform rich Web content into optimized content
for access from mobile devices like cellular phones and WAP-enabled handsets.
Inktomi and GWcom, developer of the byair.com Global Wireless
Internet Platform, aligned to enable advanced mobile-commerce services on
phones and other wireless devices. The agreement will enable users to
access powerful e-commerce capabilities spanning a broad range of products,
merchants, and content.
The Cellular Telecommunications Industry
Association estimates that by the year 2005 the mobile e-commerce
industry, dubbed m-commerce, will expand rapidly to produce 14 billion
transactions with a total market of $200 billion.
The group also projects that in five years there will be 830 million
wireless devices globally that will be capable of connecting to the
Internet. Inktomi’s strategic alliances establish the firm’s foothold into
the explosive wireless market segment.
