LightSurf
LightSurf was a provider of multimedia messaging and interoperability solutions for the wireless industry. The company was founded in 1998 by tech entrepreneurs Philippe Kahn and Sonia Lee, and was acquired by VeriSign in 2008 and later by telecommunications service provider Syniverse Technologies in late 2009.[1][2]
 | |
| Type | 1998-2005: Private 2005-2009: Subsidiary of VeriSign |
|---|---|
| Industry | Wireless |
| Founded | 1998 |
| Headquarters | Santa Cruz, California |
Key people | Philippe Kahn, Founder Sonia Lee, Co-Founder |
History
LightSurf was founded in 1998 by Philippe Kahn and his wife Sonia Lee.[1]
In 2005, the company was acquired by VeriSign. Following a change of corporate strategy and an internal reorganisation, the LightSurf technology and assets were included in the "VeriSign Messaging and Mobile Media" business unit which was subsequently offered for sale by VeriSign in late 2008. The group was sold to Syniverse Technologies in late 2009.[2]
Products
The company's core technology, the LightSurf 6 Open Standards MMS Platform, was a suite of hosted and managed MMS services that allowed users to capture, view, annotate, and share multimedia messages with any handset or e-mail address, regardless of device, file type, or network operator.[1]
LightSurf's products include the first mobile picture messaging solution in North America (GSM), the first mobile picture messaging solution on a GPRS carrier network, the first commercially deployed inter-carrier MMS solution in North America, the highest volume of picture and video messaging in North America and over 400 million media messages shared on Sprint’s network (powered by LightSurf).
See also
- Philippe Kahn, Founder
- Sonia Lee, Co-Founder
Notes
- Maney, Kevin (2007-01-23). "Baby's arrival inspires birth of cellphone camera — and societal evolution". USA Today. Retrieved 2007-12-25.
- Wong, Amy (2007-05-18). "Camera Phone Pioneer Ponders the Impact". Associated Press. Archived from the original on 2007-03-08. Retrieved 2007-05-18.
- Johnson, Colin (2007-11-12). "MEMS breed a new batch of consumer-pleasing devices". EE Times. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
- Kanellos, Michael (April 2007). "News.com, Who invented the camera phone? It depends". Retrieved 2008-10-07.
- Krey, Michael (2002-07-03). "Borland Founder Kahn Focuses On Sending Photos Over Cell Phones". Investor's Business Daily. Retrieved 2006-04-21.
- Agger, Michael. "The Camera Phone". slate.com. Retrieved January 18, 2007.
References
- "The Big Picture". wired.com. 2000-10-10. Retrieved 2019-11-19.
- "Syniverse Completes Acquisition of VeriSign's Messaging Business". tmcnet.com. 2009-10-27. Retrieved 2019-11-19.