There’s no denying the sheer size and growth of the mobile phone market. Factor in the increasingly insatiable consumer-driven desire for feature phones – mobile music, cameras, ringtones, entertainment packages, GPS capabilities and other customizable functionality – and the opportunities have never been greater for content branding, attracting new customers, retaining current customers, and keeping a competitive edge in a dynamic marketplace.

Strategy Analytics estimated that more than 800 million mobile phones were shipped in 2005. Some 50 percent of these were feature phones, and all signs indicate that percentage will grow. The market is growing and demanding software creation that can provide mobile phone manufacturers, especially those working with MVNOs, with more cost effective and feature-laden handset design options, that offer smaller footprints, are based on proven technology, and provide the ability and agility to move quickly and nimbly in a fast-moving marketplace.

This kind of agility will allow manufacturers to quickly and easily penetrate new market segments, substantially lower their handset costs, allow them the all-important functionality for customizing handsets, and will promote more rapid initiations and shorten certification timelines.

The Challenge
While there is plenty of promise ahead, today’s market holds challenges. Currently, wireless handset manufacturers invest millions of dollars on research and development (as much as $80 million for a single handset platform). A significant percentage of those costs are devoted to software development and design. And not surprisingly, those costs are skyrocketing. As well, profit margins in this arena are extremely tight, which means there’s no room for forecasting errors or missteps in product development.

And lastly, to be successful OEMs, ODMs and MVNOs require ultimate flexibility in the design of accessible and unique user interfaces and service offerings that might best be achieved through a modular development approach and an innovative user interface engine.