Maintaining momentum: Excite@Home joins WAP Forum, boosts wireless data cause

Excite@Home became a member of the Wireless Application Protocol Forum last week, sparking new life into the industry's drive to establish a universal standard for ubiquitous access to information. The forum, which was created to drive wireless data, is growing as fast as the technology itself, reaching 300 members in the last six months.

Excite@Home has been participating in forum activities since October. It decided to take the final step and become a full-fledged member simply because it made sense. "It became self-evident that we needed to be involved because it is important to provide services, which we already provide via the Internet, wirelessly," said Rob Wilen, senior director and group manager of wireless at Excite@Home.

Membership also will allow the company to work with other content providers such as AOL Europe, Phone.com and Microsoft, contributing its expertise and learning from other members.

"As we become more involved, we may help in drafting [technology] specifications where we can add our expertise," Wilen said. "I am finding it tremendously useful to be meeting potential partners and vendors and working with [companies] that are already doing this type of work."

Being part of an international forum will allow Excite@Home to form international relationships - a benefit considering Europe is ahead of the U.S. in terms of WAP. Such interaction could help keep the U.S. industry focused on making the protocol a domestic reality, Wilen said.

To strengthen its focus on delivering information any time and anywhere, Excite@Home needed to go about it wirelessly, said Becky Diercks, an analyst with Cahners In-Stat Group. "WAP is a good step because it shows their commitment. It also brings them more visibility."

Other companies, such as Phone.com, have joined the forum to contribute directly to the pace of wireless data in the U.S. "Members participate in setting the direction for WAP," said Chuck Parrish, vice chairman of the WAP Forum and executive vice president at Phone.com. "Anyone that joins will be aware of the details involved with next generation technology."

Forum members can make deals and connect with the right people to extend the reach of content in this country, Diercks said.

Getting involved with a group of other leading companies working toward the same solution is like jumping into the wireless deep end, said Larry Swasey, senior analyst with Allied Business Intelligence. The forum allows companies to be surrounded by the industry's best and brightest. "They need to get involved now to move forward," he said.

The industry has indeed moved ahead, as carriers anticipate when they can start rolling out the services, Parrish said. In fact, most handset manufacturers intend to offer phones with microbrowsers. While the PC still may be the No. 1 place for Internet access, the wireless phone will become a conventional tool, Swasey said.

"This was a smart move by Excite@Home," he said. "Others will follow. Once [companies] are included and the WAP movement goes forward, we will have ubiquitous content for subscribers."

Wireless customer usage of data applications is expected to continue on an upswing, increasing substantially over the next few years. This lends further support for the WAP cause (see figure).

"We have been amazed by the momentum and publicity around the adoption of wireless [data]. It has truly captured peoples' imaginations," Wilen said.

"Wireless data clearly will happen. There is too much momentum," Diercks added.