- S
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Gregory Alan Bolcer [SMTP:gbolcer@endeavors.org]
> Sent: Friday, January 22, 1999 2:45 PM
> To: FoRK
> Cc: endeavors@XeNT.ics.UCI.edu
> Subject: WAP, WAP, WAP
>
> I just had the following protocol brought to my attention. It appears to
> be very
> interesting. WAP stands for Wireless Application Protocol and looks to be
> supported
> by the top 7 major vendors of Wireless eqiupment. [1][2]
>
> One of the companies sees WAP as a unified messaging solution (their words
> below).
> It always cracks me up the examples they give for why people would want
> 'on the go' wireless capabilities, and it always has to do with getting
> stock quotes.
> The list of companies, Nokia, Ericsson, and Motorola along are impressive.
> They also
> have the apparent buy-in from HP and Oracle. When I say buy-in, I mean
> it literally.
> Minimum corporate participation looks to be $27k. So much for open
> protocols.
> Conspicuously missing are Sony, Sun, and Philips, who recently seem to be
> more interested
> in the networked entertainment devices market. [3] Have you seen some of
> the stock
> quotes
> lately? They have high entertainment value.
>
> So, you put wireless applications together with network connected
> entertainment devices,
> what do you need now? Well, you need 3Com and Microsoft to try and break
> in late into the
> voice, data, and video over IP market to try and unseat Cisco. [4]
>
> Greg
>
> [1] http://www.mobiledata.hughsym.co.uk/news/MDQ4/WAP.htm [see below]
> [2] http://www.wapforum.org/
> [3]
> http://www.nytimes.com/library/tech/99/01/biztech/articles/19alliance.html
> [4] http://www.mercurycenter.com/premium/business/docs/3com19.htm
>
> COMPUTER INDUSTRY LEADERS
> JOIN THE WIRELESS APPLICATION PROTOCOL FORUM
>
> Hewlett-Packard, Oracle and Toshiba Are Among Seven New Members Adopting
> WAP Standard
>
> REDWOOD CITY, Calif. - (January 20, 1999) - The Wireless Application
> Protocol (WAP) Forum
> (www.wapforum.org) today announced that seven international technology
> companies have
> joined as members, further demonstrating the industry's support of the
> wireless
> application protocol standard for Internet communications on wireless
> devices. New
> members include computer industry leaders Hewlett-Packard Company, Oracle
> Corporation and
> Toshiba Corporation, as well as telecom innovators Bussan Systems
> Integration Company,
> Tokyo Digital Phone, Glenayre Technologies Inc. and One 2 One. These
> companies joined the
> 71 other WAP Forum members at the Forum's meeting held last month in
> Kyoto, Japan, to
> specify industry-wide plans for releasing WAP-enabled services and
> applications during
> 1999.
>
> The Forum also announced that its next meeting will be held Feb. 1-5 in
> Fort Worth, Texas,
> where the WAP roadmap for 1999 and beyond will be unveiled. Non-members
> can sign up to
> attend an open session and social event during the Fort Worth meeting at
> www.wapforum.org/meetings/nonmembers-ftworth.html. The week following the
> Fort Worth
> meeting, various WAP Forum members will demonstrate their support of the
> WAP standard in
> their booths at WIRELESS '99, the Cellular Telecommunications Industry
> Association's
> (CTIA) 14th annual convention and exposition in New Orleans, Louisiana.
>
> "Gaining the support from computer industry leaders such as HP, Oracle and
> Toshiba and
> receiving key endorsements from innovative companies such as Bussan, Tokyo
> Digital Phone,
> Glenayre and One 2 One have strengthened the momentum behind the WAP
> specification," said
> Chuck Parrish, WAP Forum board chairman and executive vice president of
> Unwired Planet,
> Inc., a founding Forum member. "With the Forum's membership at 78 and
> growing, the
> industry has cast its vote for WAP as the single, de-facto standard for
> accessing the
> Internet - anytime, anywhere - on all wireless networks and devices."
> Opened to general membership in January 1998, the WAP Forum today has
> widespread
> representation and support from all sectors of the telecommunications
> industry, including
> the leading infrastructure manufacturers, handset manufacturers, wireless
> network
> operators and software providers. With active industry participation, the
> Forum has
> delivered Wireless Application Protocol V1.0, a set of standard protocols
> designed to run
> on top of the Internet IP protocol and other wireless network bearers.
> Announced in April
> 1998, this vendor-neutral and network-independent open specification is
> the unified
> worldwide standard for providing Internet communications and advanced
> telephony services
> on digital mobile phones, pagers, personal digital assistants and other
> wireless
> terminals.
>
> "WAP V1.0 is a major step in building the wireless Internet, where
> people-on-the-go can
> access the Internet through their wireless devices to get information such
> as e-mails,
> news headlines, stock reports, map directions and sports scores when they
> need it and
> where they need," added Parrish. "The WAP Forum has accomplished a lot in
> just one year,
> but we still have much work to do. As new handset technologies, network
> protocols and
> Internet standards are developed, the Forum will take an active role in
> shaping them for
> compatibility with the wireless market."
>
> WAP provides a single industry-standard mechanism for wireless application
> interoperability and a standard XML-compliant markup language called WML
> (Wireless Markup
> Language). WML, which is being implemented industry-wide, will accelerate
> market growth
> by providing a clear path for application developers. WML's
> user-interface components map
> well onto existing mobile phone interfaces, capitalizing on the extremely
> large market
> penetration of mobile devices. People who use mobile phones today will
> immediately be
> able to use WAP-enabled phones and services without re-education.
>
> New Members Support WAP Standard
>
> "HP supports the WAP Forum's fast-paced, multi-vendor approach to
> delivering Internet
> access to mobile phone users," said Bernard Guidon, vice president and
> general manager of
> HP's Communications Industry Business Unit. "Integrating WAP's
> capabilities with HP's
> OpenCall telecom-grade service development platforms will foster new
> market opportunities
> for our customers, enabling them to introduce timely and innovative
> applications that
> combine data and voice access from mobile phones."
> "Oracle views the Wireless Access Protocol as an extension to Internet
> computing," said
> Andy Felong, vice president of the Internet Applications Division at
> Oracle Corporation.
> "We have already delivered Oracle Internet Messaging with wireless Unified
> Messaging, and
> have prototyped TTML and HDML solutions to support mobile computing on
> cellular phones.
> The next step is to standardize this capability, and WAP provides an ideal
> solution."
>
> "Glenayre sees a tremendous opportunity in the convergence of fixed and
> wireless
> networks," said Sonny Bettis, vice president of engineering for Glenayre
> Electronics ING
> Division. "To capitalize on this convergence, we intend to roll out our
> Unified Messaging
> Solution (UMS) to wireless carriers and their subscribers in 1999. An
> important aspect of
> the UMS product is the support of the WAP standard for enhanced data and
> e-mail messaging
> - anytime, anywhere, anyway. Glenayre joined the WAP Forum because it
> provides us with
> both the vendor and customer perspective for unified messaging to the end
> device."
>
> "Having pioneered personal communications networks, One 2 One views WAP as
> a key
> technology for maintaining its high levels of service innovation into the
> era of personal,
> mobile multimedia," said Professor Peter Ramsdale, chief engineer at One 2
> One.