Introduction, Features and Benefits of WAP

Wireless Application Protocol or WAP for short, allow the developers to develop next generation web application for cellular devices. Through WAP enabled mobile phone anyone can access office intranet, browse the net, check-email, and do shopping... provides unlimited advantages.

Mobile service providers had extremely limited opportunities to offer interactive data services, but needed interactivity to support Internet and Web applications such as:

§                     Email by mobile phone

§                     Tracking of stock-market prices

§                     Sports results

§                     News headlines

§                     Music downloads

Key Features:

WAP is a set of protocols to set up a communication between mobile device and the internet over different network layers. WAE, WSP, WTP, WTLS and WDP are protocols of Application Layer, Session Layer, Transaction Layer, Security Layer and Transport Layer, respectively.
WAP is moving towards the Third Generation revolutions. Therefore, WAP has so many new possibilities for WAP application developers and WAP users. There are some useful features introduced into new version of WAP standard that have not been implemented in previous version. The most common features are as follows:-

·        The platform is scalability & flexibility

·        It has power-packed features which allows for customizations and integrations easily

·        The platform has a modularized architecture allowing customizations or extensions to be made with ease and is short time frames

WAP Campaign Manager Benefits:

• Benefits to Developer:
  WAP allows developers to create applications with more features and increases the value of application for the end user. WAP allows developers to develop applications that can be work across different types of devices, browsers, gateways and networks. The wireless Transport Layer Security specification of WAP allows developers to easily incorporate security features into their applications.

• Benefits to Device Manufactures:-
  WAP also provides supports to WAP device manufactures. By using WAP supporting micro browsers and operating system in to WAP device, manufactures can significantly enhance the value of devices and users of WAP devices can access various applications and services developed by a large community of web developers on WAP devices. At the same time, the manufactures are assured that the micro browser and WAP operating system will work across a wide range of WAP gateways and networks without making any physical and logical change in hard ware of WAP device.

• Benefits of Service Providers:
  WAP service provides also benefit by encouraging their customer base to use WAP devices and providing support of WAP gateways themselves. Since service providers control the WAP gateway, they can also control the home page of their own WAP site. Large wireless content providers are known to spend a huge amount to get a space on the home pages of the service providers. So that the WAP users can also access other wireless sites along with service provider’s site.

• Benefits to End-Users:
  End users probably benefit the most among the different classes of WAP users. They can access any web content through HTML-to-WML formatting services. A large numbers of application developers are developing content and services specifically for end user using WML. End users with WAP supporting devices can access the application or services offered by their network operator.
  
  

WAP signals a new era for the wireless industry. The mass-market handset is now poised to become a true information appliance, bringing a multitude of meaningful information to the masses. WAP promises to provide a unifying influence, in the best tradition of the Internet, for a global industry to flourish.