LiveWire Mobile Announces Commitment to Worldwide Customer Base and Unveils Enhanced Product Roadmap
Company to Actively Support Operators Worldwide with Both Managed Services and Infrastructure Products
LiveWire Mobile, Inc. (Pinksheets: LVWR) one of the worldwide leaders in ringback technology, mobile music and integrated mobile personalization offerings, is underscoring its commitment to maintain and expand its existing product lines as well as announce significant product roadmap milestones for its customer base of more than 40 mobile operators serving over 275 million customers around the world.
MyCaller Ringback Service
LiveWire Mobile's MyCaller®, a market-leading ringback platform, has been
deployed across 6 continents, 23 countries and over 30 mobile operators
worldwide. The next generation of MyCaller, version 4.0 expected in Q3 2010, is
scheduled to include both an IP/SIP-enabled media player as well as support for
existing IN/SS7-based networks. Current MyCaller customers as well as customers
purchasing the current release, MyCaller 3.5, will be offered the option to
purchase an integrated upgrade to the new platform.
MyCaller
is available either as an infrastructure equipment purchase that allows
operators to independently run the service, or as a managed service, in which LiveWire
Mobile provides a turnkey, end-to-end solution - including storefront
merchandising, marketing, asset management and content operations - in a shared
revenue model.
Both versions also feature a highly modular architecture, allowing for the
content/subscriber management platform (CSM) to either run at the operator or
to be hosted and managed by LiveWire Mobile.
Full-track Music Service
LiveWire Mobile today operates one of the industry's leading full-track music
platforms for several operators around the world including 3UK, Bell Mobility, Cricket
Communications, Telecom New Zealand and Sprint. The platform features
full-track downloads directly to mobile devices and personal computers, direct
operator billing and the option to support both a la carte purchases and
subscription models. The service offers music from all four major labels as
well as major independent label aggregators, delivering one of the world's
largest mobile catalogs of over 4 million tracks.
The next version, release 4.0 scheduled for release in Q3 2010, is scheduled to include significant enhancements including:
- DRM-free support: LiveWire Mobile has worked with operators, device manufacturers and content partners to deliver high quality unencrypted MP3/AAC downloads to mobile devices as well as the ability to integrate content purchased on a mobile device into desktop music libraries (such as iTunes). The Company believes that the ability to purchase unencumbered digital tracks on-the-go will significantly expand the market for mobile music, as these assets will be transferrable (or simultaneously downloaded) by end users into their growing personal digital catalogs.
- Native media player support: The majority of handsets shipping today include a built-in media player. Release 4.0 seamlessly integrates these built-in players and library management with the mobile music storefront. This will allow users to play and enjoy tracks purchased on-the-go seamlessly alongside other content stored on their devices.
- Cloud-based Rights Management: The new release will also support rights-tracking in the cloud, providing users with anytime, anywhere and instant access to their content, including the peace of mind to recover their music should they lose or replace either a mobile device or desktop. These qualities of service are keys to maximizing the value proposition of the DRM-free offering.
Infuse Integrated Mobile
Content Storefront Service
LiveWire
Mobile's core strengths and innovation have always been in the ringback and
mobile music markets - yet operators have increasingly expressed a desire to
source all mobile personalization content from a single platform. To satisfy
this need, LiveWire Mobile offers an integrated mobile content storefront which
combines both its ringback and full-track products with other commonly used
types of mobile personalization content into a single storefront. Its storefront
can manage full-track, ringbacks, ringtones, music videos, games, applications
and graphics including wallpapers.
The Company's integrated mobile content storefront, release 1.0, is already deployed in the market, including at two large operators, Bell Mobility and 3UK. The innovations discussed in the MyCaller ringback platform and the full-track music platform will also be available as part of this integrated content storefront which is sold as a fully managed, end-to-end service.
The
next release, 2.0 which is expected in Q3 2010, is scheduled to offer
additional features such as robust support for gifting, rental subscription
support for games and applications as well as integrated search capabilities
with major search engine providers such as Yahoo.
"We are recommitting the full resources of our Company to our global business
partners and customers by providing them with the broadest range of products
and flexible business models to help them generate revenue and increase
customer loyalty," said Matthew Stecker, chief executive officer, LiveWire
Mobile. "LiveWire Mobile plans to
provide and expand its support, increase its product innovation and offer a
managed services alternative to fully outsource its music and full array of
mobile personalization services.
"LiveWire Mobile stands as one of the few brands to have all of these assets under one roof and managed concurrently. The Company's recent return to profitability has enabled this significant level of investment in our core products. We look forward to deploying our products within our existing operator partners as well as new global partners."
About LiveWire Mobile, Inc.
LiveWire Mobile (Pinksheets:LVWR) is a world leader in managed personalization services. LiveWire Mobile's integrated suite of mobile personalization services includes ringback tones, ringtones, mobile full-track music and video downloads, a fully integrated storefront, and other applications, as well as dedicated content and service marketing, integrated storefront management and marketing. LiveWire Mobile makes mobile personalization services easier to use and helps drive service usage and adoption. For more information, please visit www.livewiremobile.com.
LiveWire Mobile and Infuse are trademarks and MyCaller is a registered trademark of LiveWire Mobile, Inc. All other trade names are the property of their respective owners.
Media
Relations:
Christa Conte / Savannah Tikotsky
Feintuch Communications
(212) 808-4902 / (212) 808-4903
christa@feintuchpr.com / savannah@feintuchpr.com
Investor Relations:
LiveWire Mobile, Inc.
Todd Donahue, CFO
978-742-3167
todd_donahue@livewiremobile.com
Statements other than historical facts included or referred to in this Press Release are "forward-looking statements", including forward-looking statements about our commitment to our customer base, our expected product and services release dates, our scheduled product and services features, our belief that the ability to purchase unencumbered digital tracks on-the-go will significantly expand the market for mobile music, our plans to provide and expand our support, increase our product innovation and offer a managed services alternative to fully outsource our music and full array of mobile personalization services, our ability to invest in our core products and the deployment of our products within our existing operator partners as well as new global partners. These statements are based on management's expectations as of the date of this document and are subject to uncertainties and changes in circumstances. Actual results may differ materially from these expectations due to risks and uncertainties including, but not limited to uncertainties with respect to our ability to meet our customer commitments, delays and uncertainties with respect to the timing and ability to deliver product and services features to customers and partners, uncertainties about the market for DRM free music, uncertainties with respect to our ability to maintain operating expense reductions and cost efficiencies, adjusted EBITDA profitability, profitability and positive cash flow, uncertainties about the implementation of, market for and customer acceptance of our products and services, uncertainties with respect to our 2010 initiatives, including plans to provide and expand our support, increase our product innovation and offer a managed services alternative to fully outsource our music and full array of mobile personalization services, uncertainties about our ability to grow our managed services and infrastructure products businesses, the size of our target market and our ability to expand our relationships with existing customers and partners and attract new customers and partners, customer concentration (including with Sprint Nextel Corporation and Ericsson AB), uncertainties about our ability to execute on our development initiatives, revenue fluctuations, competition, and other risks. We encourage you to read our Annual Report for the year ended December 31, 2008 and other public disclosures for certain additional risk factors. In addition, while management may elect to update forward-looking statements at some point in the future, management specifically disclaims any obligation to do so, even if its estimates change. Any reference to our website in this press release is not intended to incorporate the contents thereof into this press release or any other public announcement.
