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27th August 2004 - In a move that is intended to deliver
benefits for the mobile industry and for mobile customers,
Nokia and Vodafone today announce the formation of a
mobile service architecture initiative. The aim of the
initiative is to simplify mobile Java standards by defining
the next generation, open standards-based mobile Java
services architecture specifications. It will serve
and represent the mobile value chain, including other
leading mobile device manufacturers, mobile operators
and IT companies.
The initiative will function and create its specifications
within the Java Community Process(SM) (JCP(SM). Earlier
this month, the J2ME(TM)Executive Committee approved
the first Java Specification Requests (JSRs) from this
initiative. These JSRs, 248 and 249, will not introduce
any new API specifications but will include a number
of new component JSRs and clarifications to existing
specifications to define a consistent Java API services
architecture. This will enable application compatibility
across multi-vendor mobile devices.
The initiative will further seek to harmonise the licensing
terms of the component JSRs to be open, fair and predictable.
As specifications leads Nokia and Vodafone, in conjunction
with Sun Microsystems, will define the licensing framework
of the initiative, while the role of creating and licensing
the Technology Compatibility Kits (TCKs) for JSR 248
and 249 will be undertaken by Sun Microsystems.
The initiative has received widespread support from
leading representatives of the mobile industry, including
Orange, Siemens, Sony Ericsson, Sun Microsystems and
T-Mobile International. It is expected that a number
of these companies will join Nokia and Vodafone to become
members of the Expert Group for the specifications created
by this initiative.
By using the specifications, developers can create software
that is easily portable from one Java-enabled mobile
device to another. This will ultimately provide mobile
customers with a wide choice of feature rich Java-based
applications.
The management framework of the mobile Java services
architecture also includes security enhancements. It
will support advanced remote platform and application
management for enterprises and service providers by
enabling delivery and management of software components
to mobile devices over-the-air. This is expected to
result in cost savings for mobile software maintenance.
Furthermore, it will offer business users and consumers
an easy way to have the latest applications and services
available on their mobile devices. The application platforms
built on these specifications will enable new business
opportunities for operators, enterprises, service providers,
and device manufacturers.
The objectives and responsibilities of the initiative
will be aligned and coordinated with organisations such
as the OSGi Alliance, the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA),
the Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP) and World Wide
Web Consortium (W3C) to specify the requirements and
the capabilities of the platform. The specifications
will also offer smooth backward compatibility with the
highly successful MIDP environment.
John Jackson, Senior Analyst, Wireless/Mobile Technologies,
The Yankee Group commented, "This initiative extends
the foundation of JTWI, taking important steps to align
the CLDC and CDC platform specifications and their future
evolution under a simplified licensing structure. With
the support of leading industry players in the mobile
Java value-chain, this initiative should offer greater
consistency and continuity to developers and end-users.
It's a significant step toward accelerating the development
and distribution of more robust mobile applications."
"This initiative will significantly strengthen
Java's leading position as the environment for powerful,
state-of-the-art mobility solutions for both consumers
and enterprises in the era of 3G," said Pertti
Korhonen, Chief Technology Officer, Nokia. "It
provides enterprises and service providers with unparalleled
end-to-end management capabilities. In addition, it
offers application developers the best and fastest opportunity
to leverage their Java-based solutions in volumes and
also lets them fully exploit the great performance of
Java-enabled smart phones."
Alan Harper, Group Strategy Director at Vodafone, said:
"The mobile industry is aware of the need for standardisation
and a lot of work has been undertaken towards achieving
that aim. It will build upon the JTWI vision, and output
from other industry groups, to create an open and evolving
platform roadmap to enable consistent and predictable
implementation on a wide range of mobile devices."
"As the inventor of Java Technologies, Sun welcomes
the leadership of Vodafone and Nokia to spearhead such
an important effort within the JCP", said Alan
Brenner, Vice President of Sun Microsystems. "Sun
will develop and deliver the underlying Technology Compatibility
Kits and Reference Implementations for these new specifications.
Together, we will build on the widely adopted Java Technology
for the Wireless Industry (JTWI) specification and streamline
the advancement of mobile Java technologies."
The participants of the initiative have committed to
deploy the platform, and the first reference implementations
are scheduled for next year.
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