Nokia and Sun Microsystems announced a partnership yesterday to create an online multi-player gaming system for Java games.

The co-developed technology will aim to bring Nokia's mobile online multi-player and community technology to a broad range of handsets running Sun's Java language.

The system is designed to allow developers to create Java-based games with a mobile online multi-player component.

Dubbed SNAP Mobile, the technology is based on Nokia's Scalable Network Application Package middleware and Sun's Java technology for mobile devices.

According to the firms, SNAP Mobile will form part of the release of a tools environment based on Sun's Java 2 Platform Micro Edition Wireless Toolkit, due in the third quarter of 2004.

"Nokia sees that mobile online multi-player games and mobility go hand in hand, which is why we want to work with Sun to complement our N-Gage offering and expand the mobile online multi-player experience to the wider Java technology gaming market," said Ilkka Raiskinen, senior vice president at Nokia's Games Business Unit.

Chris Melissinos, chief gaming officer at Sun, added: "As the market for Java technology-based services in the mobile space matures, the level of sophistication for services has increased tremendously.

"Bringing mobile games online is one of the most important steps the industry needs to take."