Open Cloud sets telco Java standard

By ADAM GIFFORD

SolNet spin-off Open Cloud has won industry acceptance for its standard setting out the way Java will be used in telecommunications networks.

Co-founder David Long said its work on Jain (a flavour of the Java programming environment designed for telecommunications) and the Slee (service logic execution environment) gave Open Cloud a head start in developing its carrier grade Rhino application server.

"Taking on the spec and doing it was almost our marketing budget. We can place high-level calls to any customer we want," Long said.

More than 20 global companies have so far downloaded the Rhino Software Developers Kit, and the company expects to make its first sale this month of Rhino server to a European carrier.

Open Cloud was set up to develop applications in Jain, a flavour of the Java programming environment designed specifically for telecommunications.

By using the Java notion "write once, run anywhere", Jain Slee will free the telco industry from its limitation of no natural interoperability between core platforms.

Long said that when Sun Microsystems asked it to develop the specification for the Jain Slee standard, Open Cloud doubted it had the credibility to win the necessary industry acceptance.

"Sun said it would co-spec with us and put a very good engineer on the project," Long said.

The collaboration comes as a surprise as Sun severed its links with SolNet last year in a dispute over money owed.

After the dispute SolNet Holdings sold company assets to newly created entities, leaving a shell which was renamed S Resources.

Last month its directors jumped the gun on a High Court hearing called by Sun Microsystems by calling in liquidator Grant Thornton. A creditors meeting will be held this Wednesday.

SolNet founder Murray McNae, who is an Open Cloud director, said directors were keen to "tidy up the affairs" of the old company.

"There is significant interest in the release of the spec. Carriers have made good revenues in the wireless domain by connecting new subscribers, but that is saturated in a lot of markets, so the question now is how do they differentiate from competitors".

Long would like to see other New Zealand companies participating in what will become a new telecommunications industry with Jain Slee at its core. As well as Sun, Open Cloud has partnerships with BEA and Ulticom.

Open Cloud was initially funded by former Sun agent SolNet for its first two years, but the past two rounds of funding have come from family and friends. There has also been some Government research funding.

In December Solnet Holdings sold its stake, which had been diluted down to about 30 per cent, to Taupo Tiger, a company wholly owned by SolNet founder Murray McNae.