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WAP Emerges in France

by Philippe Ensarguet
08/21/2000

Democratization of WAP

It's hard to read a French publication today without seeing numerous articles and advertisements that tout the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). This new protocol promises to give Web service and content providers a variety of options for delivery and display, while opening the door for device-specific applications beyond traditional portal offerings.

Once used only by wealthy technophiles and corporate executives, mobile devices are now being democratized in France as telecom operators sell increasingly affordable wireless service packages to consumers. The Nokia 7110, Motorola TimePort and TalkAbout, Mitsubishi Trium Geo, and Siemens S35i and M35i phones, for example, are all offered directly by telecom operators.

Portals and Services

These operators are now developing their own content and service portals: SFR, a French telecom operator, is creating a portal called Vizzavi, resulting from an agreement between Vodaphone Airtouch and Vivendi; France Telecom has announced its I-Services and Voila Mobile offerings; and Bouygues Télécom is planning to deliver its wireless services by mid-September.

Taking advantage of this growing interest in mobile services, new players -- such as Aladdino, Bewoopi, Wappup, and PhoneValley -- are proposing independent services portals, while existing Web portals are partnering with newer wireless portals to make their services accessible from mobile devices.

Pricing policies for WAP access vary across telecom operators, and while wireless browsing features are generally included in fixed-rate subscription fees, fees for premium services are often charged according to use.

Although the number of services is exploding, the use of these services remains a compromise between the service and the device display capabilities. It is now the job of service or content providers to offer content adapted to individual mobile display specifications.

Obstacles and Developments

Currently, the performance of mobile devices doesn't compare to desktop computers for a variety of reasons.

  • The display is small.
  • Input is difficult.
  • The power source is limited.
  • 9.6 kilobit-per-second data transfer rates are slow.

However, major technological advancements are due by the end of the year: GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and other technologies promise to offer bandwidth up to 10 times faster on wireless devices. In 2002, UMTS (Universal Mobile Telecommunication Service) will provide bandwidth around 2 megabits per second. This increase in bandwidth should promote more wireless offerings such as graphical web browsing, video, and visio-conferencing.

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