22-09-2008, 09:30 AM
The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a result of the WAP Forum s effort to promote industry-wide specifications for technology useful in developing applications and services that operates over wireless communication networks. WAP specifies an application framework and network protocols for wireless devices such as mobile telephones, pagers, and personal digital assistants. (PDAs). The specifications extend and leverage mobile networking technologies (such as digital data networking standards) and Internet technologies (such as XML, URLs, scripting, and various content formats). The effort is aimed at enabling operation, manufactures, and content developers to meet the challenges in building advanced differentiated services and implementation in a fast and flexible manner.
The Objectives of the WAP Forum are: To bring Internet content and advanced data services to digital cellular phones and other wireless terminals. To create a global wireless protocol specifications that will work across differing wireless network technologies To enable the creation of content and applications that scale across a very wide range of bearer networks and device types. To embrace and extend existing standards and technology wherever appropriate.
The WAP Architecture specification is intended to present the system and protocol architectures essential to achieving the objective of the WAP Forum.
WAP is positioned at the convergence of two rapidly evolving network technologies, wireless data and Internet. Both the wireless data market and the Internet are growing very quickly and are continuously reaching new customers. The explosive growth of the Internet has fuelled the creation of new and exciting information services
Most of the technology developed for the Internet has been designed for desktop and larger computers and medium to high bandwidth, generally reliable data networks. Mass-market, hand held wireless devices present a more constrained computing environment compared to desktop computers. Because of fundamental invitation of power and form factor, mass market handheld devices tend to have:
Less powerful CPUs, Less memory (ROM and RAM), Restricted power consumption, Smaller displays, and Different input devices (eg. a phone keypad). Similarly, wireless data networks present a more constrained communication environment compared to wired networks. Because of fundamental limitation of power available spectrum, and mobility, wireless data networks tend to have: Less bandwidth, More latency, Less connection stability, and Less predictable availability.
Mobile networks are growing in complexity and the cost of all aspects for provisioning of more value added services is increasing. In order to meet the requirements of mobile network operators, solutions must be:
Interoperable-terminals from different manufactures communicate with services in the mobile network;
Scalable-mobile network operators are able to scale services to customer needs;
Efficient-provides quality of service suited to the behaviour and characteristics of the mobile network;
Reliable - provides a consistent and predictable platform for deploying services; and Secure-enables services to be extended over potentially unprotected mobile networks still preserving the integrity of user data; protects the devices and services from security problems such as denial of service.
The WAP specifications address mobile network characteristics and operator needs by adapting existing network technology to the special requirements of mass market, hand-held wireless data devices and by introducing new technology where appropriate
The requirements of the WAP Forum architecture are to:
Leverage existing standards where possible;
Define a layered, scalable and extensible architecture;
Support as many wireless networks as possible;
Optimise for narrow-band bearers with potentially high latency;
Optimise for efficient use of device resources (low memory / CPU usage / power consumption);
Provide support for secure application and communications;
Enable the creation of Man Machine Interfaces (MIMs) with maximum flexibility and vendor control;
Provide access to local handset functionality, such as logical indication for incoming call;
Facilitate network-operator and third party service provisioning;
Support multi-vendor interoperability by defining the optional and mandatory components of the specification