The Hindu Business Line : Qualcomm sees big scope for BREW platform

Telecom firm Qualcomm, pioneer and promoter of CDMA networks, (an alternative to GSM networks) had highlighted India as a future hub for mobile development on its BREW platform last year.

Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless (BREW) is a suite of software tools that help developers create small, creative applications for mobile users. These are bought off the developer by CDMA cellular service providers (Tata and Reliance in India) and offered to mobile users for a monthly fee of Rs 30-35. Applications range from games to synchronising (uploads the phone book to a server, so you do not lose contacts) and even religious `prayer' offerings!

The revenue streams for the mobile marketplace trickle down to the developer. "A large chunk, up to 80 per cent, of the end price of such applications go to the developer, as BREW is digital rights-managed (DRM)," said Dr Nikhil Jain, Chief Technology Advisor, Qualcomm India. This is in contrast to J2ME, a Java-based environment that competes with BREW.

Astrology, games for CDMA

The BREW publisher and developer community in India features approximately 40 independent software vendors, said Dr Jain. These vary from gaming firms such as the Mumbai-based Indiagames to the WestBridge Capital-backed Nazara Technologies, a content creator.

BREW-based applications bring in 40 per cent of Indiagames' revenue, from 3D games for CDMA handsets.

Other developers include Webdunia.com, Phoneytunes.com, wireless solutions maker Coruscant Tec and Paradox Studios.

Some BREW-based offerings developed in India are an astrology app, an image morphing service and a customisable ringtone application.

Phoneytunes.com developed the astrology package, bringing the ancient Indian belief to mobile users at the touch of a button. With the increasing number of camera phone users, the image morphing application also has many takers.

Recently, another BREW developer eMbience announced the Masttones application, which lets users preview tones directly on their mobiles before deciding to pay and download.

Exporter for mobile market

India is growing fast as an exporter of BREW-based applications for the mobile market, despite its late start. Exports cater to the demand of 62 BREW operators globally. Tata is among the top 10 application creators globally, informed Dr Jain.

Indian mobile entertainment applications, especially of the religious kind, are popular in CDMA networked countries such as US and Malaysia where Indian migrants have a sizeable presence and BREW-enabled handsets are sold. As of June 2005, publishers and developers have earned more than $350 million from the sale of BREW applications and services across the globe.

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