Samsung Electronics on Thursday said it will next month begin supplying handsets that run on a Java operating system to China Unicom.

The SCH-X859 phone was designed to meet China Unicom's push to expand the use of Java-based cell phone applications, Samsung Electronics said in a statement. Java, developed by Sun Microsystems Inc., is used as an operating system on mobile phones, giving users the ability to download applications such as games and ring tones onto their handheld gadgets via the wireless Internet. Due to its strong compatibility with various mobile applications, Sun Microsystems' Java software has gained acceptance from mobile phone operators, according to industry analysts.