Europe
: 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.
