In the next three to eight months, U.S. wireless carriers will upgrade their HDML-based wireless Internet servers to full WAP compliance, meaning they will support WML technology native in both the network and in new WAP-compliant phones.
The result is a greater array of handsets and new and more robust applications, which together are expected to give a shot in the arm to wireless Internet adoption and use in the United States.
Nextel Communications Inc. expects to upgrade its server to Phone.com Inc.’s UP.Link Server version 4.2-which is WAP 1.1 compliant-in the next three months. Sprint PCS expects to do the same this quarter or next. AT&T said it will follow suit soon. Verizon Wireless could not be reached for comment.
The transition to WAP is expected to occur relatively seamlessly from the perspective of the end user because today’s HDML servers can translate content written in WML-WAP’s markup language-into HDML for existing devices. Legacy HDML phones will continue to access WML content after the server upgrade to WAP as well, but that content will appear more robust in the new phones supporting WML browsers.
Once its network is WAP compliant, a carrier will be able to offer phones with WAP browsers made by other manufacturers, such as L.M. Ericsson or Nokia Corp.
“It is a positive step,” said industry analyst Alan Reiter, of Wireless Internet and Mobile Computing. “The good news is there may be more economies of scale. … You begin to build a critical mass of applications and phones. It’s a lot harder to ignore a product or service when it’s staring at you in your face, because the browser’s already there. If you have it, you may actually use it.”
The availability of more handsets is expected to drive the price of Internet-enabled devices down.
“I think you get a much broader selection of handsets. You will really expand the number of handsets available,” said Scott Goldman, chief executive officer of the WAP Forum. “I think that means great things. Competition drives down prices and gets consumers in stores.”
“We will be able to offer a wide variety of devices on our network, going past handsets to other data-enabled devices (and) provide more solutions for other market segments,” added Bob Moritz, assistant vice president of the User Requirements and Usability division at Sprint’s Product Management and Development group. Specifically, he said Sprint is looking to expand past its current consumer user focus to the business market, offering data-centric devices on its voice/data network.
Aside from cheaper and more handsets, the upgrade to WAP in the United States means more carriers supporting the worldwide WAP standard and the applications that come with the standard.
“What WAP brings to us is the availability to innovate over other types of devices and other browsers for future enhancements,” Moritz continued. “We expect more applications to become more quickly available. The ability to bring on more content is a positive. It allows our subscribers to have available to them content that’s relevant to them while mobile. … With more applications, we see more personalization and customization. … We’ll be moving from generic Internet content to more personalized applications.”
This focus on applications is considered the greatest effect a global WAP climate will have. Today, there is a mix of solutions and content written in both HDML and WML. Centering global application development on one standard is considered key to maturing the wireless Internet market past its current infancy.
“Carriers must understand that what they’re now offering is generic pap. That’s not what people will pay for,” Reiter said. “There’s wireless banking in Slovakia, which wasn’t even a country until 1993, but there’s only one bank in the U.S. where you can check your balance wirelessly.”
Sprint’s Moritz promises the applications will improve, as that is what will drive increased usage and adoption.
“More content brings more people,” he said. “You’ll see a steady increase as adoption of wireless data and wireless Internet services become known. When subscribers can see the value of the content, we all will see increased subscriber growth.”
As much as WAP is expected to do for the U.S. wireless Internet scene, WAP supporters hope its introduction here will erase the negative smear painted on the technology following what is largely seen as a disappointing debut in Europe.
“My feeling is that the wireless carriers in the U.S. had better learn from the mistakes in Europe and the mistakes of implementing Phone.com in the U.S. so far, or they’ll fall flat on their face,” Reiter said.
Specifically, he faulted European carriers for raising false expectations that the wireless Internet experience will match that of the traditional Internet.
“I give carriers credit for implementing WAP and spending the money to market it. However, they’re trying to leverage interest in the Internet with WAP, and there is too much of a disparity,” he said. “The other mistake is a closed versus open portal. … The success of the Internet was based on being able to go any place you like. Carriers that restrict that are spitting in the face of customers.”
Perhaps the most damaging problem in the European market was the chronic shortage of WAP handsets. While carrier marketing efforts created impressive demand for wireless Internet services, their vendors could not meet the demand with an appropriate supply of devices, something Sprint’s Moritz said will not be repeated.
“We learned that every phone has to have a browser,” he said, pointing out that every handset Sprint sells today is browser-equipped. “We won’t even have to break down that barrier.”
Moritz also said U.S. carriers will work harder with developers to create compelling applications, a lesson learned from European failures.
“One (lesson) is better supporting the application developer community,” he said. “Better education so they understand how our networks work and what our networks can do with WAP services and WML. More information on our handsets and devices. Education on how to create great applications. Some of the applications seen in Europe are just moving Internet content to the phone, when it’s about getting the right content on the phone when mobile.”
“It’s always the pioneer that takes the arrows in the back,” said the WAP Forum’s Goldman. “Our rollouts should be as smooth if not smoother than over there.”
