23rd February , 2004

Europe France : Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW), the creator and leading advocate for Java(tm) technology, today announced key new products, programs and partnerships for operators, handset manufacturers, application developers and content providers to monetize the growing demand for advanced mobile data services. Enormous revenue growth opportunities arise across the value chain as new devices join the network and consume, create and circulate new services. The new mobile Java infrastructure enhancements announced today help all members of the wireless community take advantage of these opportunities.

“Java technology is making mobile data services happen, it's everywhere. From the data center to the device to the latest mobile Java Web services, it is clear that the Java platform is the platform of choice for open and secure mobile services,” said Alan Brenner, vice president of consumer and mobile systems group, Sun Microsystems, Inc. “Sun is providing solutions for the entire mobile ecosystem – infrastructure products, handset implementations, development platform, and go-to-market solutions – enabling operators, device manufacturers and developers to securely connect everything and everyone on the planet to the network."

Sun's new products, programs and partnerships deliver new mobile data revenue generation opportunities to all members of the wireless industry:

(1) Delivering faster and richer Java mobile client technologies, Sun's Java(tm) Technology for Smartphones HotSpot(tm) Implementation and Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME[tm] platform) Web services unleashes a new wave of mobile data services capable of end-to-end integration with standard Web services. The release of Sun's HotSpot implementation is attuned to the increasing market adoption of the JTWI (Java Technology for the Wireless Industry) specification, which includes MIDP 2.0, Wireless Messaging API 1.1, Mobile Media API 1.1, and additional clarifications. The product is designed not only to deliver dramatic performance gains, but also lower the deployment costs for handset manufacturers and operators.

(2) Mobile operators can cut costs, increase profits and simplify the mobile data services lifecycle with the new release of the Sun Java (tm) Enterprise System, the new Sun Java (tm) System Content Delivery Server and the expansion of Java.com to be a mobile content catalog for operators. To speed delivery of next-generation enterprise and consumer services, Sun is announcing a new global partnership with Ericsson, the leading telecom supplier, to provide an integrated multi-media content delivery solution.

(3) Developers will benefit from Sun's updated Java Wireless Toolkit 2.1 which delivers the industry's most popular set of tools for developing innovative wireless applications; and from exposure and monetization through the expanded Java.com portal.

1. Enabling Mobile Web Services for Java Handsets

Sun continues to lead the mobile Java technology market with breakthrough handset technologies, dramatically increasing client performance and unleashing mobile Web services.

Java Technology for Smartphones HotSpot Implementation (Java Technology for Smartphones HI) is an optimized implementation of J2ME that runs six times faster then the current reference implementation. By pre-integrating the JTWI (JSR 185) and J2ME Web Services (JSR 172) specifications, Java Technology for Smartphones HI provides rich multimedia, messaging, and Web services support in an end-user friendly environment. Java Technology for Smartphones HI employs a flexible and modular architecture which lowers porting and deployment costs for both handset manufacturers and wireless carriers. Java Technology for Smartphones HI, available now, has been licensed by several major manufacturers and is expected to ship in mobile devices by late 2004 and early 2005.

J2ME Web Services (JSR 172), now available, is poised to propel a new generation of networked data services for mobile devices. This latest addition to the J2ME platform is WS-I compliant and allows mobile devices to access Web services using XML and SOAP protocols. It is interoperable and available through Java Technology for Smartphones HI and J2ME Wireless Toolkit. The introduction of J2ME Web Services is expected to greatly expand the current usage of mobile data services in the areas of networked applications for both the consumer and enterprise markets.

2. Reducing Cost and Complexity for Mobile Operators

Sun is simplifying the mobile data services lifecycle and enabling operators to cut costs and increase profits with the following new offerings:

Enabling Federated Mobile Data Services: Sun's recently updated Java Enterprise System enables secure mobile access and support for the Liberty Alliance Phase 2 federated identity specification. The Java Enterprise System serves as the underlying service delivery platform for the world's largest networks. Its per employee licensing model allows deployment of services at infinite scale – enabling service delivery to respond to rising subcriber demand and device connectivity without incurring additional costs.

Increasing Subscriber Loyalty: The new Sun Java System Content Delivery Server 4.0 provides a comprehensive, open solution for content management and delivery. New features include expanded support for advanced marketing and promotion such as viral marketing campaigns, and support for premium SMS so operators can promote and sell content to unregistered users using short codes. Serving the need to promote, price and protect content, version 4.0 includes “Send to a Friend” features, couponing, content bundling, and subscriber tracking and reporting capabilities, all within a user-friendly DRM model to protect content rights and revenues. These new features can be implemented with a unique, distributed approach known as “multi-vending” that enables very targeted customer segmentation without the cost and complexity of parallel implementations. New customization features for operators and personalization features for subscribers improves user experience, delivering increased levels of end-user satisfaction and higher average revenue per user.

Sun and Ericsson Multi-Media Content Delivery Partnership: Sun is partnering with Ericsson, the leading telecom supplier, to provide an integrated multi-media content delivery solution to mobile operators and service providers across the globe. The collaboration leverages Sun's Java System Content Delivery Server to provide a market proven, end-to-end delivery platform for a wide variety of downloadable content. This integrated suite of products, services and programs will help mobile operators reduce time-to-market and time-to-money for new consumer and enterprise mobile content while lowering the management cost and complexity. It will also enable new ways of marketing and merchandising content to users through content bundling, gifting, and sharing; supporting operators to provide more compelling content services to their subscribers. The Sun and Ericsson solution makes deployment of new services easy and attractive for content providers, the market for digital content such as audio, video, animation and other enhanced services will expand, increasing the average revenue per unit.

The Global Source for Mobile Java Content: Java.com is the global market destination for end-users of Java content, showcasing the latest mobile Java applications to more than 7 million monthly visitors. Sun is announcing the expansion of Java.com to include include mobile content aggregation for wireless operators including Java applications, ring tones, screen savers and wallpapers for a wide range of mobile Java devices. This expansion streamlines the sourcing, delivery and monetization of Java content for the entire Java technology ecosystem by aggregating global developer content for access and distribution by wireless operators and other service providers.
3. Stimulating Developer Innovation

The Sun Developer Network (http://developer.sun.com) continues to make Java technology the innovator's standard for consumer and enterprise mobile applications for over three million Java developers across the globe.

Awarding-winning J2ME Wireless Toolkit is the industry's leading wireless application development and emulation environment targeted at Java technology-enabled mobile devices. J2ME Wireless Toolkit 2.1, now available, is fully compatible with the Java Technology for the Wireless Industry (JTWI) and J2ME Web Services API (JSR-172) specifications. With 1.2 million copies already downloaded, this new release is expected to further accelerate J2ME application deployment.

Sun Microsystems is the leading provider of technologies that power the world's wireless communications networks. Over 250 million Java technology-enabled mobile devices have been deployed by 31 handset manufacturers through 77 operators worldwide. Java Card(tm) technology for multi-factor authentication and security in mobile phone and smart cards has crossed the 500 million units shipped mark.

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