RioPort announced a new strategic capability to make possible secure digital music delivery on enabled wireless devices. The company expects to deploy in early fall an end-to-end solution via its PulseOne Media Service to wireless operators seeking to leverage commercial digital music delivery as a value-added service to their customers. RioPort is currently the only music ASP that has secured the rights from major record labels to deliver commercial digital music to enabled portable devices.

RioPort's Direct-to-Device technology, a component of its PulseOne Media Service, provides a flexible framework for integration into all of the key interfaces of a wireless operator's network (head-end, billing, CRM, customer delivery), enabling wireless devices to access full length music downloads and streams from the PulseOne Media Service using encoding formats and DRMs as selected by wireless operators and handset manufacturers. RioPort's d2d technology includes software modules and programming interfaces designed specifically for integration into the resource-constrained environment of wireless handsets and other embedded devices. To enable access to subscription content directly from devices, RioPort has developed the Media Activation System (MAS), a DRM-agnostic d2d component that manages and enforces content usage rules, such as termination by play count, cumulative play time or time-based expiration for music tracks. The MAS functionality can also be used to enable video content and games on a pay-per-play basis.

RioPort's solution also allows for wireline delivery to music phones through PC broadband connections so wireless operators can leverage music over today's networks as well as future 3G networks. This allows wireless consumers to integrate their music phones into their entire digital media lifestyle by cooperating with other devices such as digital players and digital home and car stereos. These new capabilities leverage the leading work RioPort has done the past two years with handset manufacturers such as Nokia and Samsung/Sprint.

Additionally, RioPort delivers aggregated content from major and independent labels, along with hosting and management of the music service. RioPort's PulseOne Media Service can help wireless operators and/or handset manufacturers create WAP and/or traditional Web-based destinations, or work with existing online e-tailers to create affinity programs, where customers repeatedly return to download the latest new music that has been released for access by their wireless device. Moreover, RioPort's d2d technology provides record labels with unique merchandising, promotion and pricing opportunities for electronic music delivery while protecting their content from unauthorized re-distribution. For instance, a label may choose to preview new singles for d2d-exclusive playback as a trial promotion to help drive sales of the CD or full-usage single/album downloads.

"RioPort's d2d Service provides a flexible and cost-efficient avenue for wireless operators to deliver digital music to their customers," said Lee Shirani, vice president of Business and Strategic Relations for RioPort, Inc. "As wireless delivery and playback become an increasingly important component of the digital music market, RioPort's technology and services can meet the requirements of content rights holders and wireless operators while providing consumers with the ability to access music wirelessly anytime, anywhere."