Over-the-air programming (OTA) refers to various methods of distributing new software updates or configuration settings to devices like cellphones and set-top boxes. In the mobile content world these include over-the-air service provisioning (OTASP), over-the-air provisioning (OTAP) or over-the-air parameter administration (OTAPA), or provisioning handsets with the necessary settings with which to access services such as WAP or MMS. Some phones with this capability are labeled as being "OTA capable."
As mobile phones accumulate new applications and become more advanced, OTA configuration has become increasingly important as new updates and services come on stream. OTA via SMS optimises the configuration data updates in SIM cards and handsets and enables the distribution of new software updates to mobile phones or provisioning handsets with the necessary settings with which to access services such as WAP or MMS. OTA messaging provides remote control of mobile phones for service and subscription activation, personalization and programming of a new service for mobile operators and telco third parties.
When OTA is used to update a phone's operating firmware, it is sometimes called Firmware Over The Air (FOTA). For service settings, the technology is often known as Device Configuration.
Various standardization bodies were established to help develop, oversee, and manage OTA. One of them is the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA).
More recently, with the new concepts of Wireless Sensor Networks and the Internet of Things, where the networks consist of hundreds or thousands of nodes, OTA is taken to a new direction: for the first time OTA is applied using unlicensed frequency bands (2.4 GHz, 868 MHz, 900 MHz) and with low consumption and low data rate transmission using protocols such as 802.15.4 and ZigBee.
Motes are often located in places that are either remote or difficult to access. As an example, Libelium has implemented a smart and easy-to-use OTA programming system for ZigBee WSN devices. This system enables firmware upgrades without the need of physical access, saving time and money if the nodes must be re-programmed.
Read more about Over-the-air Programming: Mechanism, Methods, Other Verizon Methods, OTA Standards, Similarities
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