IBM unveils wireless products, services for business

Nicole Volpe

NEW YORK: International Business Machines Corp. on Wednesday unveiled a new software technology which it said will help business users wirelessly tap into corporate databases and functions on handheld devices.

The software, known as Superior Wireless Applications, or SWAP, increases the number of functions that can be carried out remotely. A sales executive could wirelessly place sales orders and changing sales prices on a device such as a Palm pilot, IBM said.

The new software will run on IBM's AIX operating system and can be downloaded onto the new eServer p640, a computer specifically designed for wireless access, IBM said.

SWAP is the latest wireless push made by IBM, which on Monday unveiled new wireless products and services, as well as several deals to provide wireless technology to European telecommunications and Internet service providers. This market is currently dominated by wireless software provider Phone.com Inc.

"Through these products, IBM is taking its expertise of managing complex systems with very high-volume transactions and applying it to the wireless market," IBM said in a statement.

IBM said SWAP would be used in tandem with a new suite of software that allows for wireless access to databases known as the Websphere Everyplace Suite. That software tailors existing Web content for wireless devices and supports multiple networks and protocols. It can support the registration of more than 5 million subscribers at once, IBM said.

IBM said it signed on British Telecommunications Plc division BT Cellnet, which is Britain's second largest mobile phone operator, Telecom Italia SpA and Avenir Telecom Sa as customers for its wireless technology.

"This is going to compete against Phone.com," said Gartner Group analyst Kenneth Dulaney, referring to the European push IBM announced earlier in the week. "These deals are good - BT Cellnet being the most significant. But they need more substantial players to show they can encroach on Phone.com's 60-70 per cent market share."

(C) Reuters Limited 2000.