McNealy, Chambers and Powell Address CTIA

Sun Microsystems CEO Scott McNealy, Cisco Systems CEO John Chambers and Federal Communications Commission Chairman Michael Powell kicked off the CTIA Wireless show in Atlanta on Monday with separate keynote addresses.

McNealy held the most news in his pocket, announcing several new partnerships focused on delivering Java-based technology to allow business travelers to work wirelessly. For instance, Sun is working with Research In Motion to extend mobile Java Web services technology to the more than 1 million customers using RIM's BlackBerry device, he said.

Sun and AT&T Wireless also are partnering to offer new mobile services via an EDGE-enabled Java Desktop System beginning in fall 2004, he added.

"The Java-powered environment is now outshipping the Microsoft world," McNealy told CTIA attendees during his keynote. "Deal with it."

Along with Pronto Networks, Sun also unveiled an end-to-end appliance that enables operators to roll out a midsize public hot-spot network licensed for 25, 50 or 100 hot spots. The appliance, to be distributed via Sun-authorized iForce channel partners, is designed to reduce the cost and complexity of setting up a public hot-spot network.