Smith Micro Adds Family Safety Platform, Global Carrier Customers with Acquisition of iMobileMagic

Smith Micro Software (NASDAQ: SMSI) announced today the company has added a next-generation Family Safety mobile platform to their portfolio with the acquisition of iMobileMagic. The Portugal-based company offers consumer applications on smartphones, tablets and wearables to ensure the safety and protection of children, elderly, and other family members who require extra care. With the acquisition, Smith Micro gains new mobile operator customers in Europe and Asia, as well as a team of mobile software developers in Braga, Portugal.

This year the number of active users of family locator services in North America and Europe is expected to reach 70 million, up from 16 million in 2011, according to Berg Insights. Considering almost 30 percent of children from industrial nations, such as Japan, the United States, the UK and Germany, own a smartphone by age 10, the market penetration for family locator services is still low. With increasing awareness of threats to personal safety, ranging from neighborhood crime to national security incidents, Smith Micro believes the market is ripe for dramatic growth.

"Mobile solutions for family safety are becoming much more important given the growing concern over national security around the world. The solution from iMobileMagic not only increases peace of mind, but also promotes customer engagement and loyalty for wireless operators," said William W. Smith Jr., President and CEO of Smith Micro Software. "The company's technology and addressable market fit very well with several areas of our business. We are excited about the growth opportunities that come from this acquisition, and the addition of several talented software engineers."

"The iMobileMagic solution focuses on families who want to know their children or elderly relatives are safe at all times, as well as manage how children and teens use smartphones," said Marco Leal, former CEO of iMobileMagic. "The synergy with Smith Micro's solutions in mobile connectivity, subscriber insights and device management makes this a great match for us, and we're very excited to leverage our strengths with Smith Micro's expertise and decades of experience serving the communications industry."

Prior to acquisition, iMobileMagic had signed up multiple operators in Europe, such as T‑Mobile, O2, and MEO (Portugal Telecom). Two more carriers in Asia are also in deployment. In addition to the family safety solution, the team develops custom mobile apps for carriers and enterprise businesses around the world. They also build consumer apps sold over-the-top on the Apple App Store and Google Play store.

The iMobileMagic platform includes parental controls that allow parents to put restrictions on how children and teens use their smartphones. It uses location services to know where family members are located, and can set alerts for important location-based events, such as when a child arrives at school or arrives home after school. The solution works seamlessly across the major mobile operating systems, including iOS, Android, and Windows Mobile. It also supports wearable platforms, and can be deployed in the cloud or on premise.

Source: PR Newswire