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IBM, BELLCORE, TRILLIUM
JOIN SUN MICROSYSTEMS
J.A.I.N. INITIATIVE TO
CREATE OPEN, JAVATM
TECHNOLOGY-BASED
TELECOM STANDARDS

NEW YORK CITY -- Jan. 12, 1999 - IBM Corp., Bellcore and Trillium Digital Systems, Inc. have joined the JavaTM In Advanced Intelligent Networks (JAIN) initiative led by Sun Microsystems, Inc., a move that demonstrates continuing telecommunications-industry support of Sun's platform-independent Java technology to develop open standards and specifications for Intelligent Network (IN) applications and services.

JAIN is a telecom industry framework -- based on Sun's JavaBeansTM component architecture -- designed to spur a new wave of telecom services blending Internet and IN technologies in order to drive convergence between traditional voice networks and IP-based data networks and to enable service portability (allowing service providers to provide the same telephony services across different networks and delivery platforms). The JAIN framework holds the promise of making IN telecom application development faster, simpler and less expensive through the use of Java technology.

IBM, a global leader in telecom computing platforms, and Bellcore, a pioneer developer of Intelligent Network technologies and operations support systems (OSS), will work with Sun to extend the JAIN initiative into the new area of IN application service creation environments. This new working group, which is expected to add more participants in the near future, will focus on developing interfaces that are compliant with the JAIN specifications for IN applications that are independent of the underlying network infrastructure, whether PSTN- (public switched telephone network) or IP- (Internet protocol) based. Bellcore and Trillium Digital Systems, which both develop Signaling System 7 software, will also focus on helping to define JAIN standards for SS7 protocol stacks, which has until now been the primary focus of the JAIN initiative.

Sun announced the JAIN initiative last June at SuperComm '98 in Atlanta, where leading SS7 protocol stack developers - including ADC NewNet (now ADC Telecommunications Inc.), DGM&S Telecom and Ericsson InfoTech AB -- demonstrated how JAIN technology-based applications could work. Apion Ltd., a telecom software developer, has also supported the JAIN technology drive.

"The fact that telecom and IN leaders of this caliber are joining the JAIN initiative to bring openness and application portability to the proprietary world of IN and SS7 clearly demonstrates we're on the right track," said Chris Hurst, vice president, telecommunications industry at Sun Microsystems, Inc. "In essence, our efforts are committed to using the flexibility of Java technology to create recognized standards that will let communications service providers deliver new applications to their customers anytime, anywhere, over any network device. We call that idea the service-driven network."

Because the JAIN specifications will constitute an extension of its Java technology, Sun said all future JAIN technology development efforts will be in accordance with the Java Community Process. Sun is implementing a formal process for developing Java specifications that can be found on the Web at http://developer.java.sun.com/developer/jcp/. The ongoing work on JAIN standards by Sun and the other participants is expected to result in separate specifications to define JAIN compatibility at the protocol and the application level; these initial specifications should be available for review later this year.

 About Sun Microsystems, Inc.

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision, "The Network Is The Computer"TM has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (NASDAQ: SUNW), to its position as a leading provider of high quality hardware, software and services for establishing enterprise-wide Intranets and expanding the power of the Internet. With more than $10 billion in annual revenues, Sun can be found in more than 150 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://www.sun.com.

 Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, JavaBeans and "The Network Is The Computer" are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc. in the United States and other countries.
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