"Telecom today is life-forming, affecting communications, time management, information sharing and even identity management," said Lars Arvidsson, corporate client executive director at Sun Microsystems, Inc. "Working together, Sun and Mobeon are creating a new service provider platform capable of using IP-based technology to support inventive voice and data communications that extend far beyond basic messaging."

Mobeon's new IP-based messaging services include revenue enhancing features such as pre-packaged solutions offering carrier class videomail, voicemail, e-mail -- all available from a multi-access interface including voice, Web and WAP. The services include a range of new features designed to increase the call completion rate, including fun greetings, such as a celebrity voicemail; slamdown, which is the ability to retrieve a number even if a voice message wasn't left; and text to speech – checking your e-mail using your voice mailbox to deliver messages verbally. Leveraging the Sun Java System Messaging Server and Sun Java System Enterprise Directory Server Edition, running on the Solaris OS, Mobeon's solution can lead to increased end user time on the service provider's network, that can result in higher average revenue per user (ARPU).

During recent internal performance tests the messaging system scaled from 50,000 users to more than 20 million users. Additionally, the companies recently expanded one of the world's largest true IP voicemail implementation, helping one of Mexico's leading telecom operators to add 5.9 million mailboxes, bringing the total to 15.1 million.

"Sun began working with Mobeon engineers in 2000, utilised the Sun Reference Architectures for Messaging methodology, and developed the first architectural design – 1.0. The result was an offering that allows operators to migrate to a feature rich IP-based voicemail and wireless e-mail system," said Sun's Arvidsson. "The number of carriers we work with and the number of IP mailboxes we've sold is testament to this as a growth area with real cost benefits for network operators."

With more than 20 years of experience in standards-based, Internet messaging, Sun is the leading provider of messaging infrastructure in the telecommunications sector. The Sun Java System Messaging Server is a scalable, reliable and secure messaging platform, which enables telco operators to deploy robust, cost-effective e-mail solutions. With its modular architecture, open-standards and documented programming interfaces, Sun Java System Messaging Server provides an ideal platform for developing enhanced messaging applications such as Mobeon's M3 Series Operator Messaging.

"Working directly with Sun allows us to optimise the use of the Sun platform in the messaging solution we've developed over the years to meet new carrier and end-user needs," said Huw Hampson-Jones, executive vice president of sales at Mobeon. "Operators have realised the cost savings that IP voicemail can bring, so being able to offer other services based on Sun Java Enterprise System software, and the Solaris OS, they can find new ways to increase revenue by using market-leading technology for their messaging needs."

Mobeon and Sun currently deliver over 50 messaging systems distributed among 32 telecom operators around the globe, and together have sold more than 28 million mailboxes.