Subject: Is WAP mobile Internet??

From: "Lars-Erik Jonsson" <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 13:54:24 +0200

Hi Folks!!

I would like to hear your opinions about how WAP people often say that WAP is
"mobile Internet". In my opinion, WAP is NOT mobile Internet at all. The
Internet is built on the e2e principle and based on the Internet Protocols,
which WAP is not. I can not tell people that they should not use WAP (even if I
have my opinions about WAP). If they believe in WAP that is their problem, but
when they try to use the words WAP and Internet in the same sentence I think it
is time to clarify a few things. I accept that WAP is there, but be honest about
what it is.

Cheers!
/Lars-Erik (expressing my PERSONAL opinions)

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From: Patrik Fältström <[email-masked]>
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 14:43:37 +0200

At 13.54 +0200 00-06-30, Lars-Erik Jonsson wrote:
>"mobile Internet".

Well, Ericsson do in their ads :-) :-) (I say to a person at Ericsson).

 From my point of view, you can (through a proxy service) access 
(some) Internet Services via WAP, but not Internet. Exactly because 
of the reasons you listed in your email.

Internet is end2end IP.

If you understand swedish, you can find one specification of "what 
should be part of an Internet connection" on

http://www.itkommissionen.se/obs/obs_spec.html

It specifies what is needed for calling something "Internet".

Nothing connected to WAP will pass those tests.

    paf

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From: Renfield Kuroda <[email-masked]>
Date: Sat, 01 Jul 2000 10:06:54 +0900

I don't think WAP Mobile Internet any more than TCP/IP is Internet.
The Mobile Internet is data/communication devices you carry around with you.

Here in Japan we have 8 million non-WAP mobile internet users, plus another 2
million WAP users, and the numbers are exploding.

But, and I know this may be the wrong mailing list for this comment, the point is a
non-technical one. Users don't care if it's WAP/WML, or cHTML or MML or text SMS, on
a cdmaONE network, PDC-P, or what.

Technically, I think many agree that WAP and its various technical standards are
ill-conceived and poorly executed, but that doesn't mean the potential of the Mobile
Internet isn't there. I personally think if WAP migrated to xHTML and operators
looked at the successes here in Japan, than the next generation of WAP phones (or
whatever you call them) really can and will be Mobile Internet.

Regards,

r e n

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