What  is  WAP?

 

 

What is WAP? Wireless Application Protocol WAP is an open specification that offers a standard method to access Internet based content and services from wireless devices such as mobile phones and PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants). The WAP model is very similar to the traditional desktop Internet. The mobile device has embeded browser software that connects to a WAP Gateway (software infrastructure residing in the Operator's Network that optomises the transmission of content for the wireless network) and makes requests for information from web servers in the normal form of a URL. The content for wireless devices can be stored on any web server on the Internet. Content must be formatted suitably for the mobile phone's small screen and low bandwidt/high latency connection. Content is written in a markup language called WML (Wireless Markup Language). WMLScript enables client side intelligence. WAP was invented and is driven by the WAP Forum - a group originally formed by Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola and Phone.com (then Unwired Planet) in 1997. The WAP Forum now has 500 member companies who make up 95% of handset manufacturers, carriers equating to 100 million subscribers worldwide, infrastructure providers, software developers and many other companies providing solutions in the wireless space. The main benefits of WAP include: Non-Proprietry method to access Internet based content and services Network independent - WAP works over current networks such as CDPD, CDMA, GSM, PDC, PHS, TDMA, FLEX, ReFLEX, iDEN, TETRA, DECT, DataTAC, Mobitex and future networks such as GPRS and 3G beyond that. WAP has been adopted by 95% of handset manufacturer's and is being implemented by the majority of carriers WAP is a communications protocol and application environment. WAP Browsers can be built on top of any operating system including PalmOS, EPOC, Windows CE, FLEXOS, OS/9, JavaOS etc.