Remote handset access will aid retailers

THE ABILITY to control mobile handsets over the Net was created originally to help developers test their mobile apps. Now it can benefit mobile phone retailers, too.

Mobile Compete's technology - Direct To Device - essentially has hundreds of different phones mounted in racks which can then be controlled remotely just as if the phone is in your hand.

The company has now brought the service over to the UK, France and Germany and has started to target phone retailers with a version it calls the Consumer Experience Management Suite (CEMS).

Either across the Net or through in-store kioks, consumers will be able to play with real phones with a live connection to whichever network they like. So they could compare Vodafone Live! against 3's portal, for example.

It's not only consumers who can benefit. Pre-release models can be mounted onto the system so that staff can try them out before they actually reach the stores.

It can also aid customer support, by enabling staff to emulate a handset problem and find a cure without having to get a similar phone out of its box.

Mobile Complete can also provides 'virtual' phone access, which allows multiple users access to a single phone which, again, is ideal for retail staff training.

The company has yet to reveal retailer customers for CEMS yet but in the USA, the company is thought to be targeting Best Buy. µ

L'INQ
Mobile Complete