seek help, b) use a PC and a cable to connect to the device and change settings on a device, add software to device, etc. OTA standards There are a number of standards that describe OTA functions. One of the first was the GSM 03.48 series. The Zigbee suite of standards includes the Zigbee Over-the-Air Upgrading Cluster which is part of the Zigbee Smart Energy Profile and provides an interoperable (vendor-independent) way of updating device firmware. The current standards do not cover harvesting of client information which is routinely done by the phone manufacturer, the service provider and the program manager (Google). No restrictions have been developed for these illegal activities. Similarities OTA is similar to firmware distribution methods used by other mass-produced consumer electronics, such as cable modems, which use TFTP as a way to remotely receive new programming, thus reducing the amount of time spent by both the owner and the user of the device on maintenance. Over-the-air provisioning (OTAP) is also available in wireless environments (though it is disabled by default for security reasons). It allows an access point (AP) to discover the IP address of its controller. When enabled, the controller tells the other APs to include additional information in the Radio Resource Management Packets (RRM) that would assist a new access point in learning of the controller. It is sent in plain text however, which would make it vulnerable to sniffing. That is why it is disabled by default. See also Phone-as-Modem (PAM) Access Point Name (APN) References Mobile technology Telecommunication services