Aether and Sun Announce Strategic Agreement to Deliver Wireless and Mobile Data Solutions for Enterprises and Government Agencies.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

OWINGS MILLS, Md. & SANTA CLARA, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 5, 2003

Aether Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: AETH):

Aether Supports Sun ONE Architecture for Development of

Applications Across Vertical Markets

Aether Systems, Inc. (Nasdaq: AETH), and Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW), today announced a comprehensive global strategic alliance to further their efforts to deliver joint solutions.

The agreement will expand the companies' current collaborative sales, marketing, and engineering efforts. Sun and Aether will work together on joint solutions built on open standards using the Sun (tm) Open Net Environment (Sun ONE) and Aether Fusion (tm) for scalability and availability. Additionally, the companies will work together to market joint solutions for large field forces in enterprises and government agencies that perform functions such as maintenance and service, distribution and delivery, public safety and healthcare.

This alliance combines the strengths of Sun and Aether's respective core technologies, including Sun ONE products such as the Sun ONE Application Server, Java(tm) and Solaris and Aether Fusion. Sun ONE is an open, integratable product portfolio enabling the development and delivery of Java Web services.

In the enterprise business market, Aether is delivering solutions for mobile office, field service, sales force automation and other applications that provide tangible returns on investment in wireless and mobile technology. Aether and Sun have teamed together in the past to provide mobile solutions for leading companies including Cingular Wireless.

Aether Fusion is based on Java(tm) 2 Platform, Enterprise Edition (J2EE (tm) that allows for the secure and reliable extension of critical information to virtually any wireless or mobile environment and runs on top of the Sun ONE Application Server. In supporting the Sun ONE vision, Aether joins a growing list of industry leaders in the effort to drive market adoption of enterprise solutions that deliver Java Web services.

"Sun, with its strength in federal government and the large enterprise, will leverage Aether's expertise in wireless solutions to introduce and deploy these solutions in largely untapped markets," said Shahram Moradpour, senior director, Market Development Organization, Sun Microsystems. "This solution based on Sun's award winning platform will provide customers with lower total cost of ownership and higher productivity."

Targeted markets include:

-- Mobile Government & Homeland Security - Aether's PacketCluster(tm) and PocketBlue(tm) applications provide law enforcement and emergency first responders with real-time wireless access to critical data sources including national crime information. These applications also provide secure real-time communications and alerts across multiple organizations and networks.

-- Mobile Office - Aether Attache(tm) provides device and network independent access to corporate email and groupware.

-- Mobile Logistics - Aether's mobile logistics application, e-Mobile Delivery, provides package tracking and proof of delivery, as part of the company's robust suite of wireless supply chain management solutions.

"This expanded relationship enhances Aether's ability to extend the reach of our products and services on the Sun platform," said George Davis, President and Vice Chairman of Aether. "By developing Fusion-based applications on the Sun ONE architecture, we can offer proven mobile and wireless solutions that are designed to guarantee extensibility and flexibility for customers over time."

"This agreement provides continued momentum for Aether's technology and solutions, particularly following our recent alliance agreement with EDS," said Gregg Smith, President, Aether Enterprise Mobility Solutions. "Sun is recognized as a global technology leader and we look forward to working closely with them to proliferate wireless and mobile solutions."

About Sun Microsystems

Since its inception in 1982, a singular vision -- "The Network Is The Computer(tm)" -- has propelled Sun Microsystems, Inc. (Nasdaq: SUNW) to its position as a leading provider of industrial-strength hardware, software and services that make the Net work. Sun can be found in more than 100 countries and on the World Wide Web at http://sun.com.

About Aether Systems, Inc.

Aether Systems delivers wireless and mobile data solutions that make people more productive and their organizations more profitable. Aether's products and services are built on Aether Fusion, the company's standards-based platform that allows for secure, reliable extension of critical information to virtually any wireless or mobile environment. Return on investment in Aether solutions comes from a unique combination of strengths - quick access to multiple back-end information sources, workflow that is optimized for specific industries, and turnkey deployment services and professional support. Backed by years of in-market expertise, Aether is making it possible for thousands of businesses and government agencies to unleash the power of the mobile workforce. For more information, please visit www.aethersystems.com

This press release includes forward-looking statements based on current expectations and projections about future events. These forward-looking statements are subject to a number of risks, uncertainties and assumptions about Aether that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in such forward-looking statements. Potential risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, the ability of to successfully develop the products and services described in this release. These risks and other risk factors are described in Aether's report on Form 10-K with respect to the fiscal year ending December 31, 2002 and other documents filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission. Aether undertakes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements contained in this press release.

Sun, Sun Microsystems, the Sun logo, Java, J2EE, and The Network Is The Computer are trademarks or registered trademarks of Sun Microsystems, Inc., in the United States and other countries.