The mobile network computer standards being hammered out by an 11- member consortium, and announced in Tokyo, will be the basis of a new global market not just for hardware but for associated software and services, claimed Jim Mitchell, vice-president of technology and architecture at Sun Microsystems Inc.'s [NASDAQ:SUNW] JavaSoft unit, one of the consortium members.

Mitchell was speaking in a US teleconference held early Monday afternoon, local time, in which representatives of Sun, IBM [NYSE:IBM], Oracle Corp., and Lotus Development Corp. commented on the NC initiative.

As reported previously (IBM, Oracle, And Others To Launch Mobile NC Specifications), Apple Computer Inc., Fujitsu Ltd., Hitachi Ltd., IBM, Lotus, Mitsubishi Electric Corp., Netscape Communications Corp., Nokia Mobile Phones, Oracle subsidiary Network Computer Inc., Sun and Toshiba Corp. have extended the Network Computer Reference Profile (NCRP) -- a set of protocols announced in May, 1996, to cover desktop network computers -- to mobile devices.

Phil Hester, vice-president of development in IBM's Network Computer Division, said the new Mobile Network Computer Reference Specification (MNCRS) is meant to provide for simple, easy-to-use devices for a variety of applications. The specs are microprocessor - and operating system - neutral, rely heavily on Sun's Java programming language, and provide for operation while disconnected from the network, so that for instance a traveler might answer electronic mail while on an airplane, then connect to the network after landing to send the replies.

Hester said the consortium members chose Tokyo for the initial announcement partly because "many of the companies in Japan will likely produce and manufacture many of these devices."

Denise Lahey of Network Computer Inc. said the new standard will build not only on the original NCRP but on the OpenCard Framework, which NCI, Sun, Netscape, and IBM announced in March. This is a smart card standard meant to enable access to personalized data and services from any NC, using a smart card for access control.

Alex Morrow, a Lotus fellow, said the specification is in line with the direction in which the IBM subsidiary has been moving and addresses what Lotus believes are its customers' needs.

The proposals are now being presented to the computer industry, and the participants said they hope to have them accepted as standards soon.