Mobile industry leaders create specifications for open unified mobile Java services architecture

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 ProcessSM (JCPSM). 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.

For further information:

Vodafone Group
Tim Brown, Group Corporate Affairs Director
Tel: +44 (0) 1635 673310

Investor Relations
Melissa Stimpson
Darren Jones
Tel: +44 (0) 1635 673310

Media Relations
Jon Earl
Janine Young
Emma Conlon
Tel: +44 (0) 1635 673310

Tavistock Communications
Lulu Bridges
Justin Griffiths
Tel: +44 (0) 20 7920 3150

Nokia Technology Communications
Tel. +358 7180 34900
E-mail: press.office@nokia.com
www.nokia.com

Nokia Americas, Communications
Charles Chopp
Tel: +1 972 894 6343

Nokia Industry Analyst Relations
Virve Virtanen
Tel: +1 914 368 0511

About Nokia
Nokia is the world leader in mobile communications, driving the growth and sustainability of the broader mobility industry. Nokia is dedicated to enhancing people's lives and productivity by providing easy-to-use and innovative products like mobile phones, and solutions for imaging, games, media, mobile network operators and businesses. Nokia is a broadly held company with listings on five major exchanges.

About Vodafone
Vodafone is the world's largest mobile community with 139 million proportionate customers, equity interests in 26 countries and Partner Networks in a further 13 countries. For further information about Vodafone, please visit the Vodafone Group website: www.vodafone.com.

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Glossary of Terms:

API
Application Programming Interface defines how programmers utilize a particular device feature.

J2ME
Java 2 Micro Edition, is the Java platform for devices with limited resources, such mobile phones.

CDC
Connected Device Configuration, is a standards-based framework for building and delivering mobile applications that can be shared across a range of network-connected personal mobile devices.

CLDC
Connected Limited Device Configuration outlines the most basic set of libraries and virtual machine features that must be present in each implementation of a Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME TM) environment on resource-constrained devices.

MIDP
Mobile Information Device Profile (MIDP), combined with the CLDC, is the Java runtime environment for mobile information devices (MIDs) such as phones and entry level PDAs.

JTWI
Java Technology for Wireless Industry

The Java Technology for the Wireless Industry (JTWI) specification defines the industry-standard platform for the Java technology-enabled mobile phones. JTWI is defined through the Java Community Process (JCP) as JSR 185 by an expert group of leading mobile device manufacturers, wireless carriers, and software vendors. It specifies the technologies that must be included in all JTWI-compliant devices, to minimize API fragmentation and broaden the substantial base of applications already developed for mobile phones.