Great article thanks to riwm @ stockhouse
From the June 7, 1999, issue of Wireless Week
Glenayre Enters Wireless E-mail Market
By Bruce Felps
The momentum toward more prevalent wireless e-mail service might become stronger if Glenayre Technologies Inc. has its way.
Working with Infowave Software Inc., the paging infrastructure giant developed a new software--internally dubbed Kodiak-- that loads on a desktop computer and gives two-way paging customers access to Microsoft Exchange e-mail. Kodiak differs from similar wireless e-mail access products because once it's loaded on a computer, users have unlimited remote access to their e-mail accounts rather than paying a monthly fee for such a service.
In the partnership, Infowave created the desktop computer software. Glenayre handled the Internet gateway side of Kodiak, which opens access between a computer and paging device. Kodiak works with all two-way pagers, including the Motorola Inc. PageWriter 2000 and AccessMate, as well as one- and 1.5-way pagers and digital cellular and personal communications services handsets with short messaging service capabilities.
Kodiak could render subscription fees for wireless e-mail obsolete when it comes to market some time in the third quarter. However, Darryl Sterling, a paging analyst for the Yankee Group in Boston, said carriers probably would welcome any product that increases network traffic. "A product like that is good for the paging companies because it generates network usage. They're not in a position to turn away from anything that does that."
To make Kodiak a success, though, Sterling said Glenayre needs to look beyond the consumer market as its primary target. "Two-way users are predominantly businesspeople. To get widespread acceptance, it can't cause any problems for [information technology] departments. The question is whether or not the IT guys will allow it. They need to sell it to [paging] carriers and let them sell it to IT people as a value-added service."
Glenayre realizes that paging companies are more suited to pursue the business and consumer markets. John Yuzdepski, senior director of marketing and business development for Glenayre's wireless messaging group, said the company plans to distribute Kodiak to paging and wireless data companies before attempting consumer marketing. "We could go direct to end users, but our preference is to sell to paging carriers."
On the consumer-marketing front, Sterling said Glenayre stands the best chance by selling to Internet service providers. "ISPs could offer such a product to consumers when they sign up for service and set up their e-mail accounts."
Terms of the development agreement between Glenayre and Infowave are undisclosed. Yuzdepski said Glenayre will pay Infowave a royalty fee based on the number of units sold while Glenayre will handle marketing efforts. "Our job is to build the market as large as possible." He said Glenayre will sell Kodiak to carriers on a licensing basis and offer volume pricing on the software.
Glenayre has yet to establish the suggested retail price for Kodiak, but Yuzdepski said it will be comparable to other mass market software products. "Software like this has to be somewhere around $29.95 because it's a consumer product." |
