Java Technology: The Kingpin of Mobile Monetization.

Java technology is the natural technology of choice for developers looking to make money from mobile applications.

Mobile computing is big business, and it's only getting bigger. Current projections from the research and consulting firm the Yankee Group predict that global cellular subscriber revenue will grow from $387 billion in 2002 to $584 billion in 2007, and the global wireless user base will increase by 49 percent over the next four years, reaching 1.72 billion by 2007. Follow the supply chain a few links and you find a lot of potential payoff for developers.

Wireless Java technology will play a big role in helping developers capitalize on that opportunity. Already deployed by 53 network operators, and available on 160 handset models from more than 20 manufacturers, the Java platform is fast becoming the "lingua franca" of the mobility space, says Sun Mobility Solutions Manager Craig Miller.

The February 2003 Yankee Group report "Finding a Clear Path to Wireless Data Revenue with Downloadable Applications" indicates that, with the support of most of the world's major operators, and handset manufacturers controlling more than 80 percent of global market share, Sun Microsystems' Java 2 Platform, Micro Edition (J2ME) has emerged as the common language of the wireless applications world.

Because it's so prevalent in the industry, developing with Java technology increases your payoff potential. If written in the Java programming language, a single application has the potential to be distributed across a multitude of networks and handsets all around the world.

"I truly believe that without a common language, like the Java programming language in the mobility business, you'd have a lot more fragmentation around the world and operators would not have had the success they've had in monetizing their data services," Miller says.

Data services, including downloadable games, have become increasingly important to telecommunications companies as traditional revenue sources continue to disappear. Network operators expect big revenue growth from content - which is good news for developers, who are finding their applications and ideas for new applications in high demand. Even when the large markets in Japan and Korea are excluded, premium content over wireless devices is now worth more than $1 billion annually, says the Yankee Group.

Strengthening the Mobility "Ecosystem"

Although most industry insiders would agree that it is immature and underdeveloped, the mobile market is formidable, with an estimated current total value of $80 billion. Much of this huge market shows up in cellular technology - the Yankee Group says 18.6 percent of the world's population owns a cell phone - but some of it comes from personal data assistants (PDAs), Wi-Fi-enabled laptop computers, handheld communicators that support RIM's Blackberry platform, traditional pagers, all types of nomadic devices, and Java Card smart cards. As more and more people cut the cord and rely more heavily on mobile communications, quality mobile content will become increasingly sought-after.

"To make all this work there's a whole ecosystem that needs to come together," says James Allen, senior product marketing manager for J2ME. "It makes it easy if everyone's using the same platform on whatever device they are using. Wireless Java can run on everybody's network, on everybody's device."

The Competition - Java Technology vs. BREW, WAP, and .NET

Mobility is a big, tasty, lucrative pie and everyone wants a big slice. Fortunately for developers using J2ME and Java Card, wireless Java technology cuts a generous portion. Of the four main platforms available to mobile developers today - Sun Microsystems' wireless Java technology, Microsoft's .NET, Qualcomm's BREW (Binary Runtime Environment for Wireless), and the Open Mobile Alliance's WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) - only Java technology has the inherent capability to run on any platform, on almost any device. Given the mobility industry's extensive fragmentation, this cross-platform capability translates into less expensive application development, a broader market for applications, a faster time to market and, well, more pie for developers.

"People pick the Java programming language first of all because it's so portable," says Allen. "Wireless Java technology does not lock you into any particular technology from any particular vendor. It can run on any type of device, and regardless of the type of network the carrier [network operator] is on, whether it's CDMA [Code Division Multiple Access], GSM [Global System for Mobile communications], or whatever, it's agnostic to the technology. So for developers there's a huge opportunity because there are more devices capable of using Java than any other application technology today."

In contrast, devices based on Microsoft .NET reference designs are not as widely available, as adoptions by handset manufacturers have been limited. Qualcomm's BREW has limitations similar to .NET's: It works only on Qualcomm cell phones, says Miller. "In the future, even if BREW ends up on other devices, you're still limited to devices that have Qualcomm chips in them," he says. "There's no tie between the hardware and Java - it works across the devices of any manufacturer, including Qualcomm and those that are Microsoft-compatible."

Java technology is not tied to any particular vendor's operating system or platform, Allen adds. It is a ubiquitous technology. It relies on the same programming language whether it runs on wireless handsets, desktops, or servers, and can run on systems from Microsoft, Sun, IBM, Hewlett-Packard, and a host of others. To create applications in Java technology, Allen continues, is to leverage the skills of a developer community of more than three million, and growing. And because wireless Java technology is developed by the whole Java community, through the open Java Community Process (JCP), it is not a proprietary technology controlled by a single vendor.

WAP is complementary to wireless Java technology because it can be used to discover and download applications written in the Java programming language. Unlike wireless Java technology, however, WAP cannot enable an application to execute locally on a mobile device - it won't run at all without a network connection. Applications based on Java technology can execute either locally or on a network. This capability allows for advanced enterprise applications such as those that automate field sales. Finally, wireless Java technology supports a much more sophisticated user interface, which allows for more interactive, feature-rich applications, Allen says. "It gives you the ability to perform functions like sorting data according to a particular attribute, or presenting multimedia content such as a video file or an audio clip. You cannot do these things with WAP."

Because Java technology has the capability to build a bridge between different devices from different manufacturers, it has the power to bring mobile communications to a higher level of efficiency and profitability. The same is true for the developers who use it. They have to learn only one programming language, and invest in testing and certification for one programming language, and their applications have the potential to run on almost any device used by the more than 50 different network operators around the world. In other words, going with Java technology can help developers enter this enormous market in the most cost-effective way.

Security Blanket for Java Technology - the New MIDP 2.0 Specification

Another reason to develop new applications in wireless Java technology is its strong security model, originally created for its older cousin, the Java 2 Platform, Standard Edition (J2SE). "To date, there has never been a security issue with a Java technology-enabled device that we're aware of," Allen says.

Applications that use the latest version of the Mobile Information Device Profile, MIDP 2.0, can use the secure Internet protocol HTTPS (HyperText Transfer Protocol, Secure) and encrypt communication between a client and a network. The new MIDP 2.0 specification also supports application signing, which is based on Public Key Infrastructure (PKI) technology already adopted as the standard method of authentication on the Internet. It provides operators with a method to determine whether the source of an application going to a subscriber is from a trusted or untrusted provider.

"So it provides another level of security that we've already been able to enjoy on the Web," says Allen. "We really fortified the strains of security capabilities for Java technology when we released MIDP 2.0 platform back in November 2002, so it's secure on the device itself."

Moving Forward with New Standards and Strong Support

Because it's an open standard, different versions of Java technology have shown up on different devices and on different networks, making certification and verification a confusing and inefficient task - and the more inefficient certification becomes, the smaller that slice of pie becomes.

Earlier this year Sun Microsystems and wireless device manufacturers Motorola, Nokia, Siemens, and Sony-Ericsson together hammered out the Unified Testing Initiative (UTI). Beginning in October, wireless Java technology applications can be tested against industry-recognized certification criteria to eliminate the fragmentation problem. Other standards recently adopted: MIDP 2.0 lets developers write downloadable applications and services for handheld devices; and Java Technology for the Wireless Industry (JTWI), known to participants in the Java Community Process as JSR 185, defines the industry-standard platform for the next generation of Java technology-enabled devices.

Handset manufacturers, developers, and network operators are clearly focused on the opportunities for efficient certification, among others, that wireless Java technology offers, and they're investing their time, money, and effort in it. Currently, more than 20 handset manufacturers ship wireless Java technology-enabled products.

Says Allen: "Right now there are almost 100 million Java-enabled mobile phones and 300 million Java Cards out there - that represents significant opportunity for Java developers."

Research indicates that opportunity will continue to grow. In February 2003, the Yankee Group said it expects penetration by Java-enabled handsets to approach 100 percent of GSM-based shipments by 2006.