Wake up Webbie! WAP is Here!
WAP technology now enables the world "on-the-run" access to such
services as mobile-real-time product purchases, stock quotes,
news, calendars, banking, voice mail, and email via mobile
wireless communication devices.
WAP (Wirelesss Application Protocol) is the new global standard
for communication between a mobile communication devices and the
Internet, as designed and defined by the WAP forum
(http://www.wapforum.org), where by the way you will find an
enormous amount of WAP/WML specs in PDF format. Although joining
the WAP Forum is fairly expensive for individuals, small or home
based businesses such as ours, they do offer much information
free to the open public. By the way, an "Associate Membership"
is a mere $7,500 a year. (Give, Gulp or Giggle Here).
It is expected that by the end of the year 2000, wireless users
will exceed 100 Million worldwide. The introduction of WAP and
wireless devices opens a brand new market of "WAP Field Users"
which will result in significant new revenues for content
providers and developers alike. By getting in on the wireless
opportunities today you have the chance to become a market
leader in this emerging commerce.
Wireless access can offer you a new source for your products and
services and also enable you to create new services and/or
products designed specifically for your mobile customers. Can
your company benefit from WAP by offering your users new mobile
services? WAP, like any other Internet Protocol, will grow to
support technology as quickly as possible. The consumer market,
of course, will heavily influence future development.
Compared to the traditional clientele, the wireless user and
market is different. The question you should be asking yourself
right now is who uses WAP and how are you going to serve them
and profit from it? Currently some of the biggest group of users
are field representatives accessing intranet data (as well as
placing orders) for their customers, people needing to access
email and voice mail on the run and individuals following stock
market trends. But as the Internet shouted aloud in 1995, "This
Is Only The Beginning"!
As an end-user, WAP now allows you easy and secure access to
relevant content and other services through your mobile phones
or other wireless device. But, by increasing your existing
Internet skills and knowledge you have the opportunity to create
new products, increase your customer base, build new alliances
and venture partnerships branded just for the wireless industry.
Even the domain names are going fast. I myself have purchased
such names as WMLDesigner.com and WMLMasters.com, as I'm sure
some of you have already obtained a few yourselves. A friend and
reader, Trevor Mayes of has
purchased names like WapCard.uk.com and Wap-Card.uk.com.
Although many have been purchased in a relatively short time
(Wap.com only purchased on 20-Jan-2000 by a company from Oslo),
I'm sure that many are still available.
Rather than to impossibly try to provide you with all the
information you may need in this one small article, I'll give
you some links to get you started in discovering the
possibilities that await you in this new and exciting arena of
information exchange.
Wireless Technologies are here and waiting for you to take
advantage of them!