Subject: Re: WAP - What A Problem...

From: Eric Brunner <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 29 Jun 2000 21:56:17 -0400

> Do you mean that WAP is:
> - overhyped?
...

Rats. I thought he ment the bit about the frog genes gone awry.
Self-pollenating dino-phibs. Oh well, back to the data.

Cheers,
Eric

---

From: Erkki Kolehmainen <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 08:46:35 +0300

-----Original Message-----
From: Anthony Atkielski [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Friday, June 30, 2000 12:42 AM
To: [email-masked]
Subject: Re: WAP - What A Problem...

> For some countries it is more feasible for people to
> use mobile technology than to try to put in place the
> fiber, and copper necessary to allow them to communicate
> using some of what might be called the more traditional
> methods.

If they are that lacking in mere wires, they probably aren't in a position
to profit from access to the Internet in the first place.  That is, if they
lack telephones (and that's all they need for broadband, or at least it's
the better part of the battle), why would they be surfing the Web?  First
things first.

> WAP, and mobile technology is a necessary component to
> the future of the global economy.

Countries without landlines are not going to be a part of the global economy
unless they upgrade in a major way very soon.

Actually this just reinforces my point.  Countries have no infrastructure at
all and already we are trying to sell them WAP.  Hmm.

EIK:

I'm somewhat surprised. Are you saying that everybody should go through the
same evolutionary steps e.g. for the telephone system and not start using
new technologies as they become available?
Wireless communication, albeit typically slower and more error prone, is
both faster and cheaper to install (and thus much more practical) in several
parts of the world than conventional land lines. Furthermore, for good
reasons e.g. in Finland, a country where fixed wire telephony has been well
established and highly popular, the mobile phone density has already
surpassed it and exceeds 50 % of the population.
__________________________________________
Erkki I. Kolehmainen
TIEKE Tietotekniikan kehittämiskeskus ry
TIEKE Finnish Information Technology Development Centre 
Salomonkatu 17 A, 10th floor, FIN-00100 HELSINKI, FINLAND
Phone: +358 9 4763 0301, Fax: +358 9 4763 0399
http://www.tieke.fi    [email-masked]

---

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 11:23:41 -0700

---------------------- Forwarded by Jim Stephenson-Dunn/C/HQ/3Com on 06/30/2000
11:24 AM ---------------------------

sent by:  Jim Stephenson-Dunn   -  Network Engineer, GIS LAN/WAN

To:   Alan Simpkins <[email-masked]>
cc:   [email-masked], Anthony Atkielski
      <[email-masked]>[email-masked]
Subject:  Re: WAP - What A Problem...  (Document link: Database 'Jim
      Stephenson-Dunn', View '($Sent)')

Valdis and Alan, you have a very valid point, infrastructure is not only
expensive but very time consuming. The engineering component (configuration) is
a relatively quick process by comparison. A country cannot just throw in a
national communications infrastructure overnight.

Having said that though, if people don't know how to use the telephone, they are
unlikely to embrace the Internet. IMHO as the world slowly goes IP, this is
perhaps an attempt by the Telco,s who see shrinking margins to try and bolster
use of their products.

I am having conversations with about 9 people around the world who are building
a pure IP infrastructure (point to point fiber) who are going nowhere near the
Telco's. Whilst it may appeal to the boys and their toys complex who may feel
that having a WAP enabled handset empowers them and/or makes the neighbours
jealous WAP that brings the Internet to a cellular device is of limited use
because of the power and memory constraints of those devices. Why look at
information on a WAP enabled phone with it's small screen, when it is easier to
pull out my laptop, fire it up and  see all of the information in one place at
one time, with lots of memory and processing power at my command.

Whilst I realise that Voice protocols have their place, it is IMHO only a matter
of time, before this family of protocols gets to old and unworkable in the new
world order of IP, that we will have little choice but to take it into the
backyard with a shotgun.

Jim

**************************************************************************************
       Legal Disclaimer

The opinions expressed within this mail are specifically my own and in no way
refer to or relate to any              ongoing business and/or the technical
direction of 3Com Corporation, or any subsidiary companies or
business units within 3Com Corporation and its subsidiaries.

**************************************************************************************

Alan Simpkins <[email-masked]> on 06/30/2000 08:22:38 AM

Sent by:  Alan Simpkins <[email-masked]>

To:   [email-masked], Anthony Atkielski <[email-masked]>
cc:   [email-masked] (Jim Stephenson-Dunn/C/HQ/3Com)
Subject:  Re: WAP - What A Problem...

Valdis, I agree with you a hundred percent. The most
expensive part of infrastructure is pulling the
cables/fiber necessary to build the infrastrucuture.

--- [email-masked] wrote:
> On Fri, 30 Jun 2000 00:41:37 +0200, Anthony
> Atkielski <[email-masked]>  said:
> The fact that they lack wires doesn't mean they lack
> telephones.
>
> Remember that wires are expensive to pull,
> especially for those 3 houses
> out on the far side of the mountain down the dirt
> road.
>
> You got this wrong.  Countries without
> *connectivity* will be screwed. There's
> no *obvious* requirement that there be a landline
> involved.
>
> Having said that, I'm *not* a WAP proponent. ;)
> --
>                   Valdis Kletnieks
>                   Operating Systems Analyst
>                   Virginia Tech
>
>

> ATTACHMENT part 2 application/pgp-signature

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