LAGUNA NIGUEL, Calif., Feb. 9, 2004 (PRIMEZONE) -- Bitfone Corporation (www.bitfone.com), a leader in over-the-air update technology for mobile devices, today announced that CEO Gene Wang has been named Entrepreneur of the Year for 2004 by the Software Council of Southern California. Bitfone was also recognized as a finalist for the Software Developer of the Year award, marking the first time in the history of the awards that a company was named a finalist in more than one category. The Software Industry Awards, presented recently at a gala dinner event at the Millennium Biltmore Hotel in Los Angeles, honors individuals and companies that have made extraordinary contributions to the growth of Southern California as a center for technological innovation.
"I am pleased to accept this accolade on behalf of the entire Bitfone family," said Wang. "This award is a testament to the company's common dedication in creating a revolutionary over-the-air software solution that allows carriers and manufacturers to service mobile phones while in the customers' hands. With mProve(tm), the wireless industry can recoup up to $8 billion each year currently spent to service mobile phones manually."
"The Entrepreneur of the Year award pays tribute to Southern California's outstanding business and technology leaders," said Lee Shaeffer, executive director, Software Council of Southern California. "Gene was selected for his unparalleled combination of leadership, subject matter expertise and a strong business acumen, which has led Bitfone to early success in the wireless industry."
Bitfone and Wang were both named finalists for the Software Industry Awards based on the success of the company's mProve solution, the wireless industry's first technology to update a mobile phone's embedded operating system, or firmware, over the air (OTA), in a secure and fault-tolerant manner. Bitfone's mProve offers wireless handset manufacturers and carriers significant cost reduction in the areas of warranty, recall and customer service, with the potential to save the industry billions of dollars annually. mProve provides manufacturers with an efficient way to manage software images from the factory through the channel to the end user. mProve also gives carriers the control they need to track their subscribers' configurations and the ability to drive incremental revenue through downloadable services.
About Software Council of Southern California (SCSC)
The Software Council of Southern California is a non-profit trade association dedicated to helping executives at the region's software, software services and IT organizations successfully reach the next stage in their companies' growth. By providing a peer-to-peer forum for the exchange of information, the building of essential alliances, and access to resources and funding, the Software Council of Southern California addresses the unique needs of the software community. It also serves as a repository of information and a clearinghouse on software industry issues and policies for media and others outside the software community. For more information visit www.scsc.org.
About Bitfone Corporation
Bitfone Corporation provides innovative software solutions for mobile device management. Bitfone's mProve is the wireless industry's leading technology that updates a mobile phone's core embedded software over the air, in a secure and fault-tolerant manner. mProve delivers significant cost savings in the areas of customer service and warranty, provides insurance against software-related device recalls, and accelerates adoption of wireless services. Bitfone is a global company headquartered in Laguna Niguel, California, with offices in China, Finland, Japan and Korea. Bitfone's investors include Nokia Venture Partners, St. Paul Venture Capital, 3i, Nexit Ventures, Motorola, Inc., Orange Ventures, KTB Ventures and CIR Ventures. For more information, please visit www.bitfone.com.