First Look:

Nokia and Vodaphone lead way to a unified mobile Java spec

By Bernard Cole
iApplianceWeb
(08/27/04, 9:46:52 AM GMT)

Espoo, Findland – In move to accelerate the rather glacial movement toward a common set of mobile Web Services specifications, Nokia and Vodafone have gone public with an initiative to promote an open standards-based  mobile Java services architecture.  

The companies emphasize that the initiative will function and create its specifications within the Java Community Process JCP, under which earlier this month, the J2ME Executive Committee approved the first Java Specification Requests (JSRs) from this initiative. (J2ME, Java 2 Micro Edition, is the Java platform for devices with limited resources, such mobile phones.) 

These JSRs, 248 and 249, will not introduce any new application programming interface (API) specifications but will include a number of new component JSRs and clarifications to existing specifications to define a consistent Java API services architecture.  

According to Pertti Korhonen, Chief Technology Officer, Nokia, this will enable application compatibility across multi-vendor mobile devices. “The initiative will further seek to harmonize the licensing terms of the component JSRs to be open, fair and predictable,” he said.  

As specifications leads Nokia and Vodafone, said Korhonen, 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.  

He said 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.” Said Korhonen. “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,” he said. “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.”  

To maintain strict standards based framework, he said, the objectives and responsibilities of the initiative will be aligned and coordinated with organizations 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. 

According to John Jackson, Senior Analyst, Wireless/Mobile Technologies, The Yankee Group, the 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.  

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. 

The Connected Device Configuration (CDC), 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. 

“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,” said Jackson. “It's a significant step toward accelerating the development and distribution of more robust mobile applications."  

It is Korhonen’s belief that the 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.  

According to Alan Harper, Group Strategy Director at Vodafone, the  mobile industry is painfully aware of the need for standardization and for that reason, a lot of work has been undertaken in this initiative towards achieving that aim.

“It will build upon the Java Technology for the Wireless Industry (JTWI) specification, 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," he said.  

According to Alan Brenner, Vice President of Sun Microsystems, the company will develop and deliver the underlying Technology Compatibility Kits and Reference Implementations for these new specifications by early next year.  

For more information on the initiative, go to www.nokia.com, www.vodaphone.com or www.sun.com.