The Problem with OTA Updates
Over-the-Air (OTA) updates make sense; no need to connect to the PC to download needed updates.
At least that is the theory…
In practicality, OTA updates translate to delays, sometimes for weeks.
Because OTA updates burn resources, here I refer to bandwidth, this puts the network provider on an odd situation: should they be prompt with their updates and made them available immediately, potentially slowing down and/or consuming precious network resources at peak times? Or should they schedule updates at off-peak times or at small windows of times across all the subscribers, meaning it will take longer to hit all subscribers, with some subscribers not getting needed updates until weeks after it is available?
The answer, in addition to OTA updates, network providers also provide Web to PC to Side-loading of updates. This will satisfy those subscribers who want to install updates ASAP, with the added benefit of relieving the network provider from having to push the updates thus saving network resources, while those subscribers who don’t care or prefer automatic updates, can wait for the OTA update to occur.
As a side note: should network providers be liable for not getting updates out fast enough to handsets, allowing handsets to be exposed to hackers and whatnot?
ceo
November 11th, 2008 at 2:12 pm
It’s not a problem, it’s an opportunity. And, everyone should remember that it’s partly happening already. Since I am still more familiar with their operations, I’ll use Sprint as an example (none of this is secret, just not well known).
PRL updates are critical to the operation of, at least, a CDMA network. Preferred Roaming List, but really a list of all the towers and pilot signal channels and so on. Without it, you cannot see some towers, so cannot get good signal.
They are updated… when you call Customer Service. This worked great for the most part. Most users call in with great regularity (monthly or better), it can be (I guess?) transmitted over the paging channel at the same time the call is going on so little or no bandwidth is lost, and the best part is that if they are calling it might be due to a signal drop issue. The act of calling might fix it.
Depending on the update in question, clever queuing strategies like this might work great. There are lots of gaps and low-demand periods an other tricks to avoid a bandwidth waste argumen. And they are needed for the 99% who have no idea how anything works, and sorta don’t care. It will be at least a generation before these are considered mobile devices, not “phones.” And everyone knows phones are solid state, plug and dial devices. Explain why you need software updates.
Sure, there’s no reason that a sideloading secondary channel cannot be provided for that 1% of nerds, but it does add effort to the development. A lot of updates handle repeated installs poorly, so there has to be an update flag on the device (instead of universal OTA, where the system can go down a list and check off itself).
November 11th, 2008 at 2:53 pm
Did you just call me nerd? LOL…
November 11th, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Oh yeah. Be proud of it!