Java Will Be the Dominant Handset Platform

Interest in the potential for Java to serve as a platform for downloadable games and other content on mobile handsets has grown substantially in the past year. Developer interest has been piqued by the rollout of services based on Java 2 Micro Edition (J2ME) by several carriers in the US and Asia. OEM and carrier interest is also evident in Europe where several carrier provisioning services should begin commercial operation within the next twelve months. …

…these carriers, which collectively account for about 19% of cellular subscribers in the US, will account for about 50% of the North American market in 2003. Neither Microsoft nor Qualcomm will succeed in undermining the market momentum of wireless Java. Handsets from many vendors that support Windows CE or BREW will also support Java. Several VM solutions are already available for each platform and carriers will want to ensure support for Java on most high-end and mid-range hands.