Phone.com and Software.com delivered its big baby Monday, launching its
merged business under the name Openwave Systems Inc. three says after
finalization of the deal.
Announced in August, the $6.4 billion deal conjoined wireless Internet
software provider Phone.com with Web messaging software maker Software.com
to cater to communications service providers worldwide and offer
“communications without limits.”
When it gets the ball rolling, its customers will include wireless network
operators, wireline carriers, Internet service providers, portals and
broadband network providers. Featured services for these clients include
wireless browsers, unified messaging, mobile e-mail, directory services,
voice technology and instant messaging.
The CSPs will be able to forge a new business model by offering both more
comprehensive services and expanding its coverage area as the newly-formed
giant blankets 150 CSPs with more than 500 million subscribers.
The firm is being skippered by former Cisco Systems Inc. Executive Vice
President Donald Listwin, the president and chief executive officer
at Openwave, who Monday predicted vast changes in the realm of Internet
communications.
“The next wave of communications is not about PCs versus appliances, or
short-messaging versus the mobile Internet,” Listwin said via a company
statement. “It is about connecting people to what is important to them —
anywhere, anytime, over any device.”
This creed echoes the sentiments of many communications providers who look
to wireless as the next generation in Internet communications. Many of
the major technology firms, from Yahoo Inc. to the traditional IBM Corp.
have rolled out wireless offerings in the past year.
Headquartered in Redwood, Calif., the business consist of 1,700 employees
and 27 offices in 15 countries.
Openwave began trading on the NASDAQ Monday under the ticker symbol OPWV.
Shares opened at $86.25, but quickly dropped almost 13
percent to $76.58 in early afternoon trading.
