weComm, a mobile data delivery company, has been granted a patent in the UK for techniques that increase the quality of the mobile user experience. This brings the total number of global patents and patents-pending to over 35.
The company said the patent is part of a wider family that overcomes a major cause of poor mobile end user experiences: the fundamental unsuitability of TCP/IP to deliver data across mobile networks, even though it is the most common communications technology in use today.
Using applications built with weComm’s wave technology, mobile users can simultaneously, and in parallel, consume rich media content (including live broadcast TV), execute transactions (including stock trades), and interact with a real-time dynamic user interface, all within a single continuous session that adapts to variable mobile network conditions such as low signal coverage, switching between 3G/2.5G/2G channels and intermittent signal loss.
weComm’s patents are embodied in its IP-based Mobile Transport Protocol (MTP) that builds on the benefits of two IP protocols, TCP (which is suitable for transaction-based systems such as fixed Internet browsing) and UDP (which is suitable for real-time systems such as video streaming and games), to deliver a high-performance, reliable and continuous mobile user experience even amidst adverse and changing wireless network conditions.
“Fixed networks are different to wireless and assume no variability in quality of connection and low error rates, so using fixed network communications protocols are always going to cause problems,” said Oliver Sturrock, COO of weComm. “To deliver a high quality user experience to a mobile consumer of media and entertainment, or to a stockbroker executing high-value trades, you need a reliable, high-performance fit-for-purpose technology.”
Applications that make use of weComm’s wave technology include BSkyB’s Sky by mobile, Cantor Mobile’s interactive financial and sports betting, eSpeed’s mobile Treasuries and Foreign Exchange and BSkyB’s mobile Sky Bet.
MTP has three core inventions that work together to deliver a high quality mobile user experience:
- Bandwidth Detection: continuous detection of bandwidth, round-trip latency and error rates for a user connection across any network.
- Prioritization of Data Types: creation of separate parallel communications channels containing different types of data such as streamed, non-streamed and transaction data. Each channel is assigned a variable priority level as well as a variable percentage of overall bandwidth. For example, video clips can be downloaded in the background while watching live TV, or a stock trade transaction is given priority over live news feeds.
- Adaptive Data Transmission: continuous and automatic adaptation of data based on network conditions. For example, the size and quality of rich media digital assets is varied depending on whether the network connection is, or has changed in real-time between 3G, 2.5G and 2G.
weComm said TCP/IP is not suitable for use over mobile networks because it is designed for fixed networks and manages reliable data communications by sequencing packets of information and measuring any loss of information sent across the network. A major drawback is that it assumes that all loss of information is due to network congestion, ideal for a fixed network to achieve equitable data transmission, and slows down and/or re-sends information. This is unsuitable for a wireless network where the major cause of information loss, which is often 30% or more, is not caused by congestion, but by intermittent wireless radio signals.
In addition, TCP/IP does not recognize the difference between the type of data being transmitted such as streamed data, financial transactions or application control data, and does not provide a suitable response. For example, it is acceptable for streamed media to continue without resending data, but transactions need to be completed, or cancelled in some circumstances such as when real-time stock trades or betting prices are out of date.
In a separate release, weComm, announced three new senior appointments to its management team to support plans for expanding its solutions capabilities and global market reach. One area of focus is the company’s latest portfolio of solutions for the media industry including interactive mobile TV.
The company named Ian Meakin as vice president of marketing and strategic alliances. Previously, Meakin was vice president of marketing at Volantis where he established the company as a major mobile content delivery supplier to leading content providers and mobile network operators. Prior to Volantis, Meakin worked at Sun Microsystems.
Nick Gargaro has been named vice president, professional services. Gargaro joined weComm in July 2006 from Parametric Technology Corp., where he was vice president of services in the global services organization.
weComm has also promoted Rob Noble to vice president, research and development. Noble has been instrumental in leading development of the wave mobile technology platform and solutions sets for mobile trading, betting and gaming and interactive mobile TV.
“We are experiencing strong global demand for our solutions,” said Oliver Sturrock. “These appointments reflect our key growth objectives of communicating our value to new markets and growing our global customer base, in expanding our solutions portfolio and in creating a first-class global partner network.”
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