BEA Systems has struck a deal to roll out an Intel-based Linux system to manage mobile services such as text-based competitions and broadcast content for O2’s 18.7 million customers in Ireland, the UK and Germany.
O2 parent mmO2 selected BEA WebLogic Platform 8.1 to reduce the complexity of J2EE development and pave the way for enhanced services for the O2 portal and O2 Active. BEA is one of the world’s largest application software companies.
The new platform for wireless service delivery will enable mmO2 to develop innovative services and deliver them more quickly, maintaining the mobile operator’s competitiveness and enhancing the experience for its end users, said mmO2 technology boss Dave Evans.
“Today, operators are building closer relationships with their customers and developing new revenue streams,” Evans explained. “One current growth area is in ring tones but we are also seeing encouraging use of information services, WAP and games on the mmO2 network. It is essential that industry, business and product strategy are closely aligned to allow operators to deliver what the customer wants and stay ahead of the competition.”
The O2 portal operates on Intel-based servers and the Linux operating system, and plays a key role in delivering new and innovative text-based services to mmO2 customers including competitions for popular terrestrial reality television programmes and football’s Premiership ‘man of the match’ polls.
BEA WebLogic Platform 8.1 on the Intel/Linux server will also underpin O2 Active, the colour icon menu that offers mmO2 customers a simple means to access a wide range of colour mobile data and multimedia services including ring tones, multimedia messaging, games, information, alerts and pictures.
In late 2002, mmO2 began working with BEA to create a product infrastructure, which would enable customers to get the most from their mobile devices. mmO2 migrated its product systems onto Linux and deployed BEA WebLogic Server to support the delivery of Internet-based services for wireless customers. Over half a billion messages are sent by mmO2 customers each month.
mmO2 is working with BEA to develop a component-based environment for the development of new services; it will begin by converging its disparate wireless products onto a single platform using BEA WebLogic Workshop 8.1 and BEA Liquid Data for WebLogic 8.1.
mmO2 has also selected BEA Professional Services for areas of implementation tuning, performance testing and training, rapid knowledge transfer, fast access to technical expertise and accelerated deployment of the new software within mmO2’s existing product environment.
By John Kennedy
