Baratz predicts Java-based Webphones to exceed tens of millions annually
Munich (08/26/97) — Three telephone equipment manufacturers are expected to announce licensing deals with Sun Microsystems Inc. to use Sun’s PersonalJava software in Webphones — mobile phones than can access the Internet.
The three companies are Alcatel Alsthom SA of France, Northern Telecom Ltd. of Canada, and Samsung Group of South Korea.
“It’s very new,” said Amy Porter, European marketing manager for the Javasoft division of Sun, referring to the Webphone. “As far as we know, this is the first public showing of this technology.”
A Webphone is a mobile phone that has a small screen and a small keyboard attached, allowing users to access the Internet and browse the Web. PersonalJava is a version of the Java operating environment for consumer devices and enables Webphones to connect to networks, including the Internet, and download content.
PersonalJava also allows easy access to Java applications, such as an applet that displays the user’s stock portfolio, Sun said in a news release.
Last June, Alcatel Telecom SA, a unit of Alcatel Alsthom, announced a Java-based Webphone with 7.5-inch screen designed for Web surfing, online transactions, and sending and receiving e-mail. Alcatel also plans a model that has a smartcard reader attached to the side to enable secure payments, Porter added.
Sun also has sold a Java license to Nokia Telecommunications Corp. for the next version of its Nokia 9000 Communicator, said Porter.
According to an estimate by Alan Baratz, president of Sun’s Javasoft subsidiary, the number of Java-based Webphones produced annually could grow into the tens of millions.
Porter said the estimate was not unrealistic considering that in France alone Webphones are seen as a possible replacement for the more than six million terminals belonging to France Telecom’s online service, Minitel.
