Sun Microsystems, Inc, today announced a far-reaching agreement with Vodafone AirTouch, the world's leading mobile communications company, that Sun and the Sun-Netscape Alliance (the Alliance) intend to provide the technology for Vodafone AirTouch's new global wireless Internet platform. Vodafone AirTouch and Sun have signed a non-binding Letter of Intent that is subject to further negotiation and the closing of a definitive agreement.
The agreement, and the current Vodafone AirTouch relationship with Sun, could represent up to $500 million in value to Sun over a three year period.
The proposed deal calls for Sun to supply an end-to-end architecture -- scaling from handsets to the central and back office -- for the delivery of wireless Internet services to Vodafone AirTouch's customers worldwide.
Vodafone AirTouch intends to deploy Sun's Netra carrier-grade and Enterprise servers and Sun StorEdge storage arrays running the Solaris Operating Environment as the platform's foundation. The companies intend to implement Java technology -- the Java 2 Platform Enterprise and Micro Editions -- throughout the architecture to enable exciting and easy-to-use applications for mobile users.
Additionally, Sun intends to work with Vodafone AirTouch and its partners to develop mobile devices incorporating the Java 2 Platform Micro Edition, turning the cell phone into a personal network appliance for the world's consumers. This should enable Vodafone AirTouch to deliver secure anytime, anywhere access to information and services from a wide variety of devices via a simple, consumer-friendly interface.
The Sun-Netscape Alliance intends to provide Vodafone AirTouch with a wide range of iPlanet products, including infrastructure, communications and e-commerce applications software. Wireless users should benefit with convenient, device-appropriate access to these applications. They should save time with a single mail and calendar store, have the ability to manage information more easily with greater privacy, should have rapid access to new services and should have more choices at lower costs.
Sun also plans to help Vodafone AirTouch architect, integrate and deploy the Sun components of this next-generation technology platform through its Sun Professional Services organization.
"With today's announcement, Vodafone AirTouch, Sun and the Alliance are creating an exciting new world of mobile data and services that will be available to consumers worldwide," said John McFarlane, president of Sun's Network Service Provider Division. "Vodafone AirTouch's global reach, and the quality and breadth of services they offer, combined with Sun's industry-leading platform for Internet services, represent a major step toward making the vision of Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime on Anything a reality."
"The explosive growth of the wireless data market made it imperative for Vodafone AirTouch to select a technology partner that could deliver a reliable, scalable, carrier-grade platform," said Mike Caldwell, Corporate Communications Director, Vodafone AirTouch. "For this, Sun and the Sun-Netscape Alliance were the clear choice. Together, they provide the carrier-grade platform hardware, operating system, applications and professional services needed for implementing what we believe will become the world's largest wireless Internet platform."
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Sun Microsystems
Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- The Network Is The Computer - has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc., to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that power the Internet and allow companies worldwide to ".com" their businesses.
With $12.4 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 170 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com.
Sun-Netscape Alliance
America Online, Inc. and Sun Microsystems, Inc. formed the Sun-Netscape Alliance in order to provide comprehensive user-friendly business and e-commerce solutions and services to business partners and companies competing in the Net Economy. The Alliances product portfolio offers its customers the markets most scalable and integrated software and a family of production-ready e-commerce applications. The products are available for the most common platforms on the market, including DEC, HP, IBM, Linux, SGI, Microsoft Windows and Sun Microsystems. The Alliances products include: messaging and calendar, web, application, directory and certificate servers. The Alliance also offers production-ready applications for e-commerce, including commercial exchange, procurement, selling and billing. More information can be found at www.iplanet.com.
Vodafone AirTouch
Vodafone AirTouch is the world's largest mobile communications company serving more than 35.5 million proportionate customers in 24 countries on five continents and is the second largest UK FTSE company. Vodafone AirTouch is the UK's leading mobile operator with more than 7.94 million customers nation-wide. Vodafone AirTouch has led the market for mobile data and text messaging in the UK with more than 86 million text messages being handled during December.
NOTE: Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Netra, Enterprise, Sun StorEdge, Solaris, Java, iPlanet, HotJava and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the U.S. and other countries. Netscape and the Netscape N logo are registered trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation in the U.S. and other countries. Other Netscape logos, product names, and service names are also trademarks of Netscape Communications Corporation, which may be registered in other countries.
Press announcements and other information about Sun Microsystems are available on the Internet via the World Wide Web using a tool such as Netscape Navigator or Sun's HotJava browser. Type http://www.sun.com at URL prompt.