MB Device Services

Windows 7 introduced a NDIS (Network Device Interface Specification) based driver model for supporting Mobile Broadband (MB) devices. Windows 8 expands the model to implement a standardized hardware interface for USB based Mobile Broadband devices. This hardware interface specification is referred as the Mobile Broadband Interface Model (MBIM).

Windows 8 provides a class driver that works with devices conforming to the MBIM specification. This model is referred to as the MB Class Driver. However, a class driver can not will support all of the functionality exposed by an MB device. In order to allow IHV partners to continue to innovate, the class driver (and MB platform) provides a well-defined mechanism to allow IHVs to extend the class driver functionality. This document describes this extension mechanism.

Extensibility Goals

The scope of feature set supported by the MB class driver is defined by the Windows 7 MB driver model. In Windows 8, a few additional features (specifically USSD, EAP-SIM/AKA and USB selective suspend) are supported natively in the MB platform and class driver. The class driver (and by extension the Windows 8 Mobile Broadband platform) offers an extensible device representation and control mechanisms. This enables vertical solution providers to use the Windows Mobile Broadband APIs to create enhanced user experiences that are outside of those provided by Windows. The extension mechanism is a way to augment, but not to replace, the functionality supported in the class driver. For example, an IHV can provide vendor-specific software that performs firmware updates on the device; another example is vendor-specific software that provides value-add services such as SIM toolkit (STK) or Phonebook.

In addition to defining a mechanism to extend the class driver functionality, Windows also provides mechanisms to enable IHVs to deploy and install their value-add software through Windows Update (WU).

Send comments about this topic to Microsoft

Build date: 5/7/2013