Ericsson is collaborating with Sun Microsystems to develop an open source Java technology-based multimedia application server that can run on wireless networks. The announcement was made at the JavaOne 2007 conference Tuesday in San Francisco.

Under the agreement, Ericsson will contribute parts of its server development to GlassFish, a group devoted to developing server applications based on the Java Enterprise Edition platform, including a variety of tools and expertise to support developer communities. Ericsson may also allow developers to test their applications on a live IMS-based network.

Claes Odman, head of multimedia solutions in Ericsson’s multimedia business unit, said that, through the collaboration, Ericsson would take “a very active role to enable all involved industry players and consumers to reap the benefits from IMS, such as scalability, quality of service and a strong user experience, building on open source.”

He added: “By giving developer communities the tools necessary to build applications that seamlessly fit in an IMS environment we stimulate the creation of a wider variety of new applications that support the emerging communication culture with every day life experiences anywhere, anytime and on any device.”

Like other companies at JavaOne, Ericsson sees that wireless devices are more ubiquitous than desktop PCs and that mobile is where the company’s energy should be directed.

“We realize that in developing new services around IMS that will change the way people live their lives, we can’t do that on our own,” said Martin Harriman, vice president of marketing and business development for the multimedia business at Ericsson. “This is a big step for us, [and] we’ve never worked like this before.”

“The collaborative efforts of Sun and Ericsson represent a significant step in the convergence of enterprise IT and telecommunications development and the promise of Next Generation Networks (NGNs) based on IP Multimedia Subsystems (IMS),” said Karen Tegan Padir, vice president, Enterprise Java Platforms at Sun. “Using the communications application server, developers and ISVs will be able to build VOIP, instant messaging and multimedia into their Java Platform Enterprise Edition applications that can then be delivered to any connected consumer device including mobile phones, PCs and set-top boxes.”

The collaboration effort hopes to create condusive environment for open-source developers to create novel applications that encourage people to buy mobile devices, that will spur demand for more of the network equipment Ericsson makes and more of the servers Sun makes.

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Entry was posted on Tuesday, May 8th, 2007 at 11:44 pm under Technology.

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