WAP's Vision Remains Blurred

Although the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) forum has been going great guns and now boasts 108 members, some question the protocol's strength. Some industry watchers believe the protocol can serve only as a transitional standard, while others stand behind its optimized content delivery.

Problems continue to be associated with the technology, including the display size, which affects advertisers' ability to get their messages across to users.

"WAP creates a lot of uncertainty and, in some respects, falls short of the mark for compelling content delivery," said Cliff Raskind, Strategy Analytics senior industry analyst. "But WAP can provide customer information for service providers to use in cross-selling and up-selling products while decreasing overall internal costs. WAP can Velcro a customer to a carrier, reducing the likelihood of churn."

According to Raskind, WAP is not meant to be a browser for surfing but to obtain information from specific Web sites.

Although some feel it may be too early for WAP implementation, the technology isn't without its supporters. In fact, the sheer number of those wanting to be part of the forum could be causing some confusion. WAP may be trying to do too much for too many people right now, Raskind said. Nevertheless, many WAP-forum members believe the protocol extends the overall roll-out of wireless data infrastructure with carriers worldwide.

"It certainly is early," said Jake Armstrong, Spyglass vice president of mobile data services. "But the capability is there today, and it can be implemented."

According to Raskind, the technology first should be proved in the corporate environment where IP needs to move outward, allowing for the extension of IP to the handset level.

The future of WAP will be determined by user reaction. A positive response could bring a more refined definition of WAP, making it a more functional protocol.

Key features that will be delivered in subsequent versions of the WAP specification include enhanced security and the ability to send material in an orderly way to a wireless terminal.

"The WAP 1.1 specification that has just been approved and released is a complete and viable starting point for the creation of the first generation of these wireless applications," Armstrong said.

It may be a while before WAP's benefits outweigh the concerns. But Armstrong pointed out that WAP implementation as a common standard within the next six months is important to its success and would further development of WAP applications.