Feature Story

The almighty stack.

Sun ONE architecture and Java technology help Telstra ride the wave toward a next-generation communications infrastructure.

7.Aug.02--The evolution of telecommunications networks has begun. In the next three years, Telstra Corporation Ltd. of Australia aims to create a next-generation communications network that will enable millions of subscribers to access Internet applications from virtually any device--cell phone, handheld device, PC, or home broadband connection. To help make that vision a reality, Telstra chose Sun Microsystems, Inc. as its lead supplier of technology solutions and services, and will work with Sun to develop innovative programs that will help it identify and explore new business opportunities along the way.

Why Sun?

Telstra and Sun have had a successful business relationship over the past 11 years. Now, Telstra will broaden that relationship to include the following:

• A technology and business relationship with Sun, one of the strongest players in the online world
  
  
• Access to the biggest developer community in the world--one that uses the Java programming language
  
  
• Use of the robust, open-standards-based Sun Open Net Environment (Sun ONE) architecture to raise the quality of service, so Telstra can reproduce in the online world the good experience customers have had with its voice service
  
  
• Increased revenue opportunities for both companies

Telstra will use Sun products as the basis for its open services platform. The service provider will standardize on the Sun ONE architecture and the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE platform) to provide its programmers with a single, stable platform on which to develop a new base of innovative applications and services, such as unified messaging, mobile gaming, and convenient payment solutions.

"The new technology environment will effectively open our networks and platforms to the IT industry for the development and hosting of the customer applications of the future," said Dr. Ziggy Switkowski, chief executive officer of Telstra. "Together with Sun, we can fast-track the development of compelling customer applications and services, driving the take-up of wireless and broadband in the markets we serve. We expect this to be a tremendous boost to technology innovation in Australia."

An Ambitious Plan

Telstra, a top-tier global carrier with annual revenues topping U.S. $11.8 billion, operates wireline, ADSL, HFC, satellite, and digital wireless networks and platforms that serve 10 million subscribers in Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Using Sun technologies, Telstra will establish a Standard Operating Environment that can link these networks and platforms and allow a single view for customers to access data and applications, regardless of their location, device, or mode of connection. This Standard Operating Environment will be the backbone of Telstra's open services platform and will help enable Telstra to develop applications and to bring new services to market quickly.

"Telstra continues to unleash the possibilities of an open Net for consumers and businesses to the benefit of country and economy," said Scott McNealy, chairman and chief executive officer of Sun Microsystems, Inc. "Together we will provide an open environment on which conceivably any business can deliver services, content, and applications to users at any time, any place, and on any device. This represents a landmark in the evolution of service provider networks."

Sun ONE Components

The Sun ONE architecture is an excellent platform for consolidating Telstra's applications, services, and networks. To support the Sun ONE software stack, Telstra has already chosen the Solaris Operating Environment and Sun servers, which include the Sun Fire and Sun Enterprise product lines, as preferred foundation technologies. Combined, these Sun technologies provide an open, integratable platform for highly scalable, robust, and future-proof Web services that will help to protect Telstra's current and future IT investments, speed the time-to-market of rich new services, and help increase revenue opportunities.

To speed development and deployment of next-generation services, Telstra will consider using the following components from the family of Sun ONE infrastructure software products:

• The Sun ONE Directory Server software, which includes the Sun ONE LDAP Directory Server, provides a central repository for authentication and authorization information.
  
  
• The Sun ONE Identity Server software provides an identity system that includes access management, identity administration, and directory services.
  
  
• The Sun ONE Application Server software uses the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition to provide a foundation for delivering enterprise-class application services and Web services.
  
  
• The Sun ONE Portal Server software provides the services required to build portal sites, including user and community management, personalization, aggregation, security, integration, and search.
  
  
• The Sun ONE Integration Server software is designed for enterprises that need to integrate packaged, custom, legacy, and new Java applications.
  
  
• The Sun ONE Communications Suite includes Messaging and Calendar Servers.

The Power of Open Standards

Because Sun ONE platform technologies are built on open standards and are fully integrated, they offer two key benefits to customers like Telstra:

• Interoperability with other open-standards-based technology on the market today, so customers can build their own customized solution from best of breed products
  
  
• A fully integrated solution of Sun ONE products that is scalable, reliable, and ready to deploy, for a fast time to market

Sun ONE software incorporates LDAP and Java technologies, which use industry-standard APIs and schemas that allow them to interoperate with third-party products that also comply with the standards. The Sun ONE Directory Server software uses the LDAP protocol to track and manage the identities of millions of users of portals, e-commerce applications, and information services. To create new applications, the Sun ONE Application Server integrates the powerful application development environment of the Java 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition, which can help maximize reuse of applications and support collaboration among developers.

Speeding Development

Besides using the Sun ONE software stack and the J2EE development environment, Telstra will also rely on Sun for professional services and ongoing support. Sun provides a comprehensive portfolio of services, including technical consulting, training, and support to help design, build, and manage an integrated solution for a highly reliable, scalable, and efficient open services platform.

Sun and Telstra will collaborate on the development and testing of new applications at Sun's iForce Center in Sydney, Australia. Numbered in the millions, Sun Microsystems' developer and iForce partner community is a powerful force for the creation of new applications and solutions based on the Sun ONE architecture, the Solaris Operating Environment, and the Java programming language. Telstra and Sun plan to use and expand Sun's Sydney iForce Center during the development of new solutions for Telstra's customer base.

A Big Win

The expanded partnership between Sun and Telstra has benefits that extend to developers, customers, and each company's business. For its developers, Telstra can offer an open integratable online services platform that can help it build and deploy services quickly, and explore new revenue opportunities. Telstra's evolving infrastructure will help improve its customers' experience of Web services and help it deploy and manage core capabilities, such as identity management, portal services, and new applications, quickly and cost-effectively. Telstra can draw from a large and thriving community of developers using the Java language to help it develop the new services it wants to offer its customers. For Telstra customers, this new environment will offer ubiquity for the services and content they need, no matter how they connect to Telstra's network.

For Sun, a deal of this magnitude is a huge validation for its long-held vision of Services on Demand--online connectivity anytime, anywhere, from any device--and its integrated, scalable, and robust Sun ONE software offerings. Sun has consistently backed open standards as the best way to create innovative technologies that solve real-world problems for customers and partners. The Sun ONE architecture will deliver to Telstra a powerful engine to drive new applications and services. Once again, an open solution, based on industry standards and proven technologies such as the Java platform, has won the day.

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