French telecom major Alcatel has made its choice of platform for running Java applications and services in its "One Touch" 735i mobile phones: JBlend, which is now licensed by 13 different handset manufacturers and deployed in mobile phones offered by wireless operators around the world.

JBlend is the flagship product of Aplix, a Sun Java licensee since 1996, and includes a high-performance, small-footprint JVM for a variety of configurations (CLDC, CDC) and profiles/extensions (MIDP, JTWI, i-mode DoJa, Vodafone, Sprint and others). The 735i is among the first available mobile phones that supports MIDP 2.0 - the very latest Mobile Information Device Profile.

The platform also has all the porting tools and test suites needed to Java-enable a full line of consumer products.

More than 30 million handsets have been shipped with JBlend technology, which has been incorporated into more than 80 wireless handset models. The 735i comes with a large color screen and a built-in camera with a x8 zoom, while MIDP 2.0 technology makes the handset capable of downloading games and applications over WAP and the Internet.

The news comes simultaneously with reports that Alcatel is looking for a partner in South Asia - including China - to either sell its up to 800 million Euro handset business, or look for a joint venture partner. Alcatel claims to have a market share of about 8% in the mobile handset market world wide.

"We are negotiating the terms with various companies. We have two options to exit from the handset business. Either we can sell this out rightly or enter into a joint venture with a company," said Etienne Fouques, President (Mobile Communications), Alcatel.