interphase fits well with both companies wireless strategies..
MOTOROLA TEAMS WITH SUN TO DELIVER NEXT
GENERATION, HIGH-AVAILABILITY WIRELESS NETWORK
Motorola's network infrastructure unit will be first to deploy Internet
protocol-based solution
SCHAUMBURG, Ill., and PALO ALTO, Calif., June 9, 1999 - Teaming to shape the
future of wireless communications, market leaders Motorola, Inc. and Sun Microsystems, Inc. today
announced they have signed a non-exclusive, ten-year strategic technology agreement which will allow
Motorola to deliver Internet protocol (IP)- based, high-availability network servers, base station
controllers and base stations for wireless networks.
The agreement joins the wireless communications platform expertise of Motorola's
Network Solutions Sector (NSS) with carrier-grade hardware platforms from Motorola Computer Group
(MCG) and mission-critical software solutions from Sun. The new network will provide an
unprecedented level of wireless availability - the equivalent in a wireline world of near-infinite dial tone and a
claim that only thewireline industry can make today.
This same high-availability wireless network architecture will be deployed by other
Motorola businesses that design and manufacture wireless network infrastructure products for satellite, paging,
two-way radio and Internet networking customers. Under the terms of this agreement, Motorola's plans
call for the purchase of up to $1 billion in board- and system-level hardware from MCG; software
and hardware from Sun; as well as custom hardware from Motorola NSS. In addition, Sun and MCG will
independently offer their respective, high-availability software and hardware architectures to other
telecommunications and enterprise customers.
The new architecture, featuring an open, easy-to-use development environment, will
allow wireless service providers and commercial developers to quickly respond to demands for
IP-based voice, data and video services. The architecture includes custom hardware from Motorola NSS;
MCG's award-winning CPX8216 PowerPC high-availability computing platform; and Sun's
ChorusOS™ real-time operating system, Solaris™ operating environment, high-availability and IP services and
Java Dynamic Management™ Software Kit.
"Motorola is moving the wireless telecommunications industry from its proprietary past to
a future based on open IP standards which can provide reduced costs, increased reliability and
new value-added services for our customers," said Chris Galvin, chairman and chief executive officer,
Motorola, Inc. "By leveraging the combined expertise of Sun and Motorola, our customers can deliver the
most reliable, scalable and feature-rich wireless services available."
New IP-based digital wireless networks provide an open architecture that allow network
operators and service providers to quickly deliver new services to consumers at reasonable costs.
Unlike new IP-based networks, older proprietary wireless networks are expensive to customize and
limited in the types of services and devices they can support.
"The agreement we're announcing with Motorola is about spurring innovation in the
wireless industry," said Scott McNealy, chairman and chief executive officer, Sun Microsystems, Inc. "The
new platform will be open. Voice, IP and multimedia will converge. Consumers will have more
choices. Carriers will be able to reduce costs. In short, Sun and Motorola are laying the
foundation for the digital wireless network of the 21st century."
The products will be designed to provide three tiers of service:
Tier One for base station operations with demanding, real-time needs
Includes custom hardware from Motorola NSS; processor and network interface cards
from MCG; and Sun's ChorusOS real-time operating system, high-availability and IP services
and Java Dynamic Management Software Kit
Tier Two for call processing controllers with some real-time requirements
Includes MCG's CPX8216 carrier-grade, high-availability computing platform, and
Sun's ChorusOS real-time operating system, high-availability and IP services, and Java
Dynamic Management Software Kit Tier Three for back office processing and central office operations |
