My impressions of WAP

Okay after all that talk, the bottom line is WAP in my opinion is headed the way of the cassette tape with the implementation of faster network speeds and smaller less expensive processors your going to see regular HTML come more and more into play...Just like cassette tapes are still around so will Wap be but with the cost added cost of supporting Wap Carriers are not going to be able to make a profit from it...expect them eventually to simply connect your phone directly to the internet versus running your connection through a openwave/phone.com server.

 

Yeah that's probably most liekly true, but right now Wap is like top-of-the line and that's all we have, so lets make the most out of it.

 

Wap could have been more, or could have more subscribers now if it was not so heavily promoted as "the internet" or "the web" in reality it is very limited compared to what you can do with a PC and the internet, but it still a really neat feature. If people would understand what it can and most importantly cannot do, they would have a better experience with WAP. Many carriers have not done a good job in teaching their salesreps how to sell the product. If a salesrep would give a demonstration of say, how to forward your PC emails to your WAP email address, or other real world applications, customers would have a better experience...Most salesreps today say "get the internet on your phone!!!" this leads to disappointment by the customer.

 

Through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) auctions of broadband PCS licenses in 1995, 1997, and 1999, Western Wireless acquired PCS licenses through its VoiceStream Wireless subsidiary. Now independent, VoiceStream continues to aggressively develop its network and presence in North America.
VS existed on paper until about 97

1997 :
1)VoiceStream Wireless expands its coverage areas to Denver and El Paso and ends the year with 128,600 subscribers
2) VoiceStream opens new 65,000 square-foot customer care center in Albuquerque

So how did they build out with no licenses in 94.

 

http://www.wirelessnewsfactor.com/perl/story/18571.html

Beating WAP's Bad Rap

By Lou Hirsh
Wireless NewsFactor
July 12, 2002

If a large handful of the right technology and market conditions converge, WAP could make a comeback, but it would probably require a new, untarnished name.

Wireless application protocol technology has not delivered on its promise to bring the full Internet experience to mobile phones, but it could still have a future. To overcome its bad reputation, however, WAP will have to undergo a significant evolution in the coming years.

The technology's problems took root when early hype got ahead of consumer demand and WAP's actual level of development became grossly misunderstood. For an example of the hype, Meta Group (Nasdaq: METG) analyst Peter Firstbrook points to a TV ad for Sprint PCS (NYSE: PCS) that tried to lure PC-bound Web users by declaring, "You can come out now. All the Internet is here on your phone."

As a result of the hype, expectations for WAP soared past reality. "It was just not ready for prime time," Firstbrook told Wireless NewsFactor. "Networks were slow and unreliable, and there was not enough content to keep anyone interested."

The Shrinking Mentality

Wireless providers also attempted to do too much on their own. "Carriers tried to build all the content themselves," Firstbrook said, "and let's face it -- the carriers are not the most creative group of people on the planet."

On top of creating Web sites as "walled gardens" under their control, Gartner (NYSE: IT) vice president Ken Dulaney said, carriers designed applications that were essentially "PC applications shrunk down" -- often difficult to use and not suited for smaller screens.

Tearing Down Walls

By reaching out to the development community, incorporating next-generation transmission technology, and changing the way Web pages are coded, WAP proponents are looking to maintain its presence on mobile phones and, someday, win back users.

Gartner research director Phil Redman expects that Internet protocols will get better support in next-generation transmission technologies. For example, it is likely that there will be an increased use of page-coding languages, like XHTML (extensible hypertext markup language), that allow Web pages to be displayed properly, regardless of whether they are being transmitted to a wired or wireless environment.

A key benefit of making page coding interoperable is that it will eliminate the need for companies to maintain separate wired and wireless Internet infrastructures, which many firms have found to be a costly proposition.

Getting Pushy

A WAP makeover will need to address the ability to push content. If the technology can evolve to address that concern, as well as problems with latency, it can survive to make an impact. "It's not going to catch on in its present form, but it should remain a presence in the next couple of years," Redman told Wireless NewsFactor.

Meta Group's Firstbrook believes other circumstances must change before WAP can stage a comeback. The completion of faster, packet-based 2.5G networks, which U.S. carriers are just beginning to roll out, will be critical. WAP success also will hinge on the availability of better devices, including handsets that run Java and come with color screens and large memory.

Firstbrook said content needs to be redesigned specifically to fit the parameters of mobile devices. "Location-based applications will be a big driver, if done right."

By Another Name

Above all, costs must come down.

"The driving force behind consumer adoption will be kids," Firstbrook said, adding that potential users are scared off by high prices for data services and devices.

The analyst said WAP will depend on consumers for acceptance, since it is designed mostly for phones and because businesses prefer PDAs and laptops for computing power and interoperability.

But, even if all the stars align in WAP's favor, the end product could get a name change. Firstbrook points out that the term WAP is noticeably absent in current marketing campaigns, like the one for AT&T's "M-life."

"The name 'WAP' is tarnished, but it will be the underlying technology for getting phones to display Web-type pages," the analyst said.


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Thanks for the article amphibian, puts my rant on WAP in perspective. I could just be bitter against WAP my previous employer spent too much money trying to develop a good WAP solution...bought our own openwave server, developed agreements with content providers. To have almost zero customer interest...Money could have been better spent adding capacity or coverage.

If you know anyone who needs a phone.com WAP server let me know...