Red-M, a wireless Internet server developer, and L.M. Ericsson have agreed to cooperate on enabling Wireless Application Protocol applications over Bluetooth technology.
The idea is to allow mobile access to Internet and intranet information written in WAP via a Bluetooth connection between devices, the companies said. Red-M has developed a server that sits within the corporate firewall and allows Bluetooth-enabled devices to communicate with the corporate infrastructure and public Internet.
“We’re taking Bluetooth to the next level. We’re providing wireless infrastructure for data and voice in an office environment,” said Simon Gawne, vice president of marketing and business development at Red-M. “The server is a shared access point between the physical Internet and Bluetooth devices.”
Essentially, it allows WAP phones to access WAP content and applications without connecting to the public wireless network. Instead, the phone queries the Red-M server via a Bluetooth connection, which then retrieves the WAP information and sends it back to the phone, again via Bluetooth. Or, a corporation could extend its own intranet content to employees using Bluetooth while in the office, like checking e-mail while in a meeting or away from the desk, but also allow them to access the same information via a cellular network connection using WAP when not in the office.
“Red-M’s exclusive focus is to bring Bluetooth into the workplace and allow Bluetooth devices to access the Internet,” Gawne said.
Red-M demonstrated the ability in Monte Carlo at the Bluetooth Congress last week, using Bluetooth-enabled WAP phones from Ericsson.
