Subject: RE: Is WAP mobile Internet??

From: TSIGARIDAS PANAGIOTIS <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 17:19:22 +0300

I believe, I found part of the following text in WAP Forum's WEB-pages.
However, I think the answer -from business and technology point of view- is
simple; 

Is WAP mobile Internet ?  Yes and NO

WAP is using existing Internet standards.  The WAP architecture was designed
to enable standard Internet servers to provide services to wireless devices.
In addition, when communicating with wireless devices, WAP uses many
Internet standards such as XML, UDP and IP. The WAP wireless protocols are
based on Internet standards such as HTTP and TLS but have been optimised for
the unique constraints of the wireless environment.
Internet standards such as HTML, HTTP, TLS and TCP are inefficient over
mobile networks, requiring: 

	Large amounts of mainly text based data to be sent.

	Standard HTML web content generally cannot be displayed in an
effective way on the small size screens of mobile phones and 
	pagers, and navigation around and between screens is not easy.

	HTTP and TCP are not optimised for the gaps of coverage (change over
etc.), long latencies and limited bandwidth associated 
	with wireless networks. HTTP sends its headers and commands in  text
format instead of compressed binary. Wireless 
	services using these protocols are often slow, costly and difficult
to use. The TLS security standard requires many messages 
	to be exchanged between client and server which, with wireless
transmission latencies, results in a very slow response for the 
	user.

WAP has been optimised to solve all these problems (??? my oppinion),
utilising binary transmission and greater compression of data, and is
optimised for long latency and low/medium bandwidth. WAP session protocol
stack can cope with limited coverage (gaps of coverage) and can operate over
a wide variety of wireless transports using IP where possible and other
optimised protocols where IP is impossible (WDP).

The WML language used for WAP content makes optimum use of small screens and
allows easy navigation with without a full keyboard, and has built-in
scaleability from two-line text displays  to the full graphic screens of
smart phones and communicators.

Additionally, WAP goes far beyond the Internet technology not in order to
extent the Internet,  but to address functional entities like SIM/WIM,
GSM-Telephony etc., they are not part of  the Internet market technology.
They are  an important part of the cellular technology and they simply do
exist and have to be addressed.  

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
-------------------------------
Is WAP going in a different direction than Internet standards do ? NO.

Many of WAP Forum's protocols are Internet standards such as XML, IP and
UDP. The Forum has created a protocol suite that is optimised for the mobile
environment. WAP Forum is working closely with the W3C (World Wide Web
Consortium) and the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) to ensure that
the future versions of HTML, HTTP and TCP will accommodate the special needs
of mobile devices and can be supported in the WAP framework.

Panagiotis Tsigaridas
Telco Information Systems Manager
STET Hellas Telecommunuications S.A.

-----Original Message-----
From: Lars-Erik Jonsson [mailto:[email-masked]]
Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2000 4:18 PM
To: Taylor, Johnny; [email-masked]
Subject: Re: Is WAP mobile Internet??

The Web is NOT the Internet. The Web is one Internet application.

/L-E

>The Internet allows all protocols to in-operate with her. This is the
>uniqueness
>of the web. Therefore WAP falls within this area!
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Lars-Erik Jonsson [mailto:[email-masked]]
>Sent: Friday, June 30, 2000 7:54 AM
>To: [email-masked]
>Subject: Is WAP mobile Internet??
>
>
>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)
>

---

From: Lloyd Wood <[email-masked]>
Date: Wed, 5 Jul 2000 16:45:13 +0100 (BST)

On Wed, 5 Jul 2000, TSIGARIDAS PANAGIOTIS wrote:

> Internet standards such as XML, UDP and IP.

XML is not an Internet standard.

 The WAP wireless protocols are
> based on Internet standards such as HTTP and TLS

HTTP and TLS are proposed standards at this time. They are not
Internet standards.

> WAP Forum is working closely with the W3C (World Wide Web
> Consortium) and the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force) 
> to ensure that the future versions of HTML, HTTP and TCP will
> accommodate the special needs of mobile devices and can be supported
> in the WAP framework.

What future versions of HTML?

L.

<[email-masked]>PGP<http://www.ee.surrey.ac.uk/Personal/L.Wood/>

---

From: Doug Royer <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 11 Jul 2000 16:21:46 -0700

> TSIGARIDAS PANAGIOTIS wrote:
> 
> However, I think the answer -from business and technology point of view-
> is simple;
> 
> WAP is using existing Internet standards.  The WAP architecture was
> designed to enable standard Internet servers to provide services to
> wireless devices.

In other words - a gateway?

If so, then it is a gateway to non-internet devices.
They are not just disconnected devices. Many people have laptops
that are connected then disconnected from an ISP. The mobile
phones use a different protocol suite to perform their operations.

I am not saying that is bad. Just that it seems to me to they are
saying that they are providing a gateway to the internet for non-internet
devices. Otherwise is all they would need is a bridge or router.

>  In addition, when communicating with wireless devices,
> WAP uses many Internet standards such as XML, UDP and IP. The WAP
> wireless protocols are based on Internet standards such as HTTP and TLS
> but have been optimised for the unique constraints of the wireless
> environment.

And much email is still sent in ASCII (IEEE I think), that does mean
that all internet email systems are IEEE devices.

> ...

Orthogonal to the issue here - "is it the internet"?