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INTRODUCTION:
Mobile phones have become very popular.They offer ultimate convenience and are very useful devices for people to stay in touch.
The main draw back of web based application is that the user has to stay close to the pc to use the facility.
WAP has given a new dimension to web applications by doing away with the restrictions posed by pc.
ABOUT WAP:
The Wireless Application protocol (WAP) is an open, global specification that empowers mobile users with wireless devices to easily access and interact with information and services instantly.
Nokia, Ericson, Motorola and the US Software Company phone.com were the initial partners that team up in mid 1997 to develop and deploy the WAP.
WAP is an attempt to define the standard for how content from the internet is filtered for mobile communications.
WAP IS A STRONG CORPORATE TOOL
The excitement over WAP is essentially because of the potential as a strong corporate tool. WAP could effect a company in two ways.
A new way of delivering services
An enabler of the any time, any where connected work force.\
Today companies have realized the value of their customers time and the need to reach out to customers, any where and anytime.
BENEFITS:
OPERATORS
For wireless network operators, WAP promises to decrease churn, cut costs, and increase the subscriber base both by improving existing services, such as interfaces to voice-mail and prepaid systems, and facilitating an unlimited range of new value-added services and applications.
CONTENT PROVIDERS
Applications will be written in wireless markup language (WML), which is a subset of extensible markup language (XML). Using the same model as the Internet, WAP will enable content and application developers to grasp the tag-based WML.
END USERS
End users of WAP will benefit from easy, secure access to relevant Internet information and services such as unified messaging, banking, and entertainment through their mobile devices. Intranet information such as corporate databases can also be accessed via WAP technology.
Why Choose WAP?
In the past, wireless Internet access has been limited by the capabilities of handheld devices and wireless networks.
Internet standards such as hypertext markup language (HTML), HTTP, TLS and transmission control protocol (TCP) are inefficient over mobile networks, requiring large amounts of mainly text-based data to be sent.
WAP utilizes Internet standards such as XML, user datagram protocol (UDP), and Internet protocol (IP).
WML and wireless markup language script (WMLScript) are used to produce WAP content
WORKING OF THE WAP
WAP Gateway
WAP Gateway allows WAP browsers to access the WAP content located in the Internet.
WAP Server
WAP Server provides the data and the services locally in the server PC. By using the WAP Server one doesn’t have to install a separate HTTP server to provide WAP content.
A Wireless Application Protocol standard specifies two essential elements of a wireless communication and end-to-end application protocol and an application environment based on a browser.
WAP FEATURES
LANGUAGES:
WML has full support for user input to enable interactivity within the WAP application. WML is based on XML.
OPERATING SYSTEM:
WAP can be built on any operating system including palmOS, FLEXOS, OS/9, JAVAOS etc. It provides service interoperability even between different device families.
NETWORK THAT SUPPORT WAP:
WAP can be used very easily on almost any wireless format. Currently WAP is being used by both GSM, CDMA and TDMA cellular phone networks.
WAP APPLICATIONS
Wireless access to Internet content
Wireless access to corporate IT-systems and Extranets
Intelligent telephony services
Wireless access to personal information
WAP PROGRAMMING TOOLS
WML
WML Script
Wbmp Image
WHY WAP IS HOT ?
It provides a standardized way of linking the internet to mobile phones, thereby linking two of the hottest industries any where.
Its founder members include major wireless vendors of Nokia, Ericsson and Motorola, Plus new comer phone.com.
The WAP forum has over 500 members.
WAP PROGRAMMING MODEL
WAP programming model is similar to World Wide Web programming model.
WAP model consists of three entities
Client
Gateway
Server.
1. Client:
This is micro browser that resides on the mobile device.
2. Gateway:
This entity takes care of translation between WAP & WWW.
3. Server
This entity is the standard WWW server that contains static & dynamic content
WAP PROTOCOL STACK
WAP relies on stacked architecture, as does UNIX, Windows NT, and most other newer technologies. Because wireless devices have limited memory, some layers of the stack have been offloaded to the WAP gateway. The layers, are:
THE FUTURE OF CONTENT DEVELOPMENT
WML’s basis in XML also positions it well as a future target markup language for automatic content transformation.
The W3C is currently defining the eXstensible Style Language (XSL), which provides a powerful mechanism for the dynamic transformation of well formed XML.
Using a XSL style sheet, content written in XML defined markup languages can be automatically translated into content suitable for either HTML or WML, as shown in fig.
EXTENSION TO WAP TECHNOLOGY - BLUETOOTH:
With the blue-tooth technology the wireless world will be even more wire-less. We will able to print from our phone or laptop without connecting any cables. You will tell your computers to communicate with each other without your permission.
WAP PITFALLS
It is very difficult to configure WAP phones for new WAP services with 20 or so different parameters needing to be entered to gain access to a WAP Service.
There are few mobile phones that support WAP and wide spread WAP support in handsets is unlikely for sometime.
There are many WAP Gateway vendors out these competing against each other with largely the same standardized product. This led to consolidation.
CONCLUSION:
WAP is an initiative by WAP forum that allows users of mobile devices to access content on their devices using wireless networks. It provides a universal standard, which enables users to easily access web based interactive information services and applications from the screens of their mobile phones.