Sun has launched a venture with China Unicom to build an end-to-end JavaTM technology-enabled wireless data infrastructure designed to deliver enhanced data services to China Unicom's 60 million mobile subscribers.

Sun will provide products and consulting services to enable China Unicom to go to market quickly with data services on the JavaTM 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2METM) platform. The China Unicom alliance follows on a series of recent Java technology launch announcements coming from global carriers like Vodafone and AT&T Wireless looking to monetize their wireless data network investment with Java technologies.

"China Unicom has played a significant role in developing the market for mobile communications in China and thus in creating what has already become the largest single wireless market in the world. Like China Unicom, Sun is very confident of the vast potential for Java technology and the J2ME platform in this exciting marketplace," said Juan Dewar, senior director, Consumer, Mobile Systems & Strategic Solutions at Sun.

The companies hope to have the first Java technology-based applications available to China Unicom subscribers by the first quarter of 2003. Offering advanced and innovative data capabilities will help China Unicom to remain competitive as the PRC's mobile consumers demand ever-more sophisticated wireless services. The new class of data applications also creates an opportunity for local Java developers to leverage the solutions they create for China and other countries, even where different network systems and other mobile information devices are in use.

With over 50 million devices deployed, Java technology is the market-leading platform for advanced wireless data services today, with more carrier deployments, handsets and content than any other competing technology. Java technology-enabled handsets are currently running on all major wireless network systems globally, including GSM, GPRS, PDC, iDen and CDMA. Java technology-enabled wireless data services are already a proven success in the Asia-Pacific market, with the top carriers in each market committed to providing Java applications downloadable content and services: Hong Kong (with Hong Kong CSL, Hutchison, New World Mobility, Noodle, Peoples Telephone, SmarTone and Sunday); in Japan (with DoCoMo, KDDI and Vodafone/J-Phone); in Korea (with LG Telecom); in Singapore (with Starhub, SingTel and M1); and in Taiwan (with FarEastone and Chung Hwa Telecom). [...read more...]

		fullsource
Print Email Current Profile Archive Blog Generate newsletter