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Even
before the wireless Internet has been rolled out across the
world, there are reports (like the one from Ovum) warning that
the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) opportunity is closing
in. This is a good effort to lessen the hype surrounding WAP, a
protocol that tries to make Internet mobile and cellular
communication more useful by incorporating Internet access.
The way wireless Internet
has been introduced, it is not surprising that there are doubts
being aired by some experts. The first batch of WAP phones and
WAP gateways/servers released have not endeared themselves to
their buyers. While the WAP phones are quite costly, they are
still very slow in terms of data transmission at a maximum
achievable speed of 14 Kbps. With technologies, which enable
faster access of data like GPRS, Edge, and 3G around the corner,
the future possibility to upgrade current WAP phones is
uncertain. On the network side again, people who deploy openly
say that the current gateway/server offerings are highly
unstable and not easily interoperable.
While these problems can
be explained as initial snags experienced by any technology
which is being deployed for the first time, this clearly points
out that the hype people are generating around WAP may lead to a
strong backlash from users.
User Issues
Cost of WAP
services: Even if
subscribers are not charged for content and commerce services
offered through wireless Internet, if mobile operators do not
reduce their airtime costs for GSM data and SMS connection, it
is highly unlikely that wireless Internet will ever be
successful in India. Currently, a special airtime rate can be
introduced for WAP sessions to promote subscribers to buy WAP
phones and actually try out wireless Internet. The free ISP
model can also be explored, whereby access is provided free of
cost to subscribers who surf on a page which carries
advertisements. Since a mobile phone has limited screen size,
the advertisement can be in the form of a ticker line. It would
not be a bad idea for all wireless Internet access and service
providers to provide their services free for the first year of
operation just to encourage subscribers to come online on the
mobile phone.
Mobile privacy:
Till now, a mobile number was intended to be given out to only a
few close friends and important associates. With wireless
Internet and e-mail, the subscriber suddenly finds his phone
number getting more exposed. After a few e-mails, you may start
receiving the odd e-mail you had not expected. The issue of
privacy is even more grave in the case of wireless
Internet/e-mail. Users of SMS-based mobile e-mail pay for the
e-mails received and sent by the number of characters used to
sent or receive them. If you start receiving unauthorized
e-mails, you are in for shelling out a hefty bill.
Limiting wirless
Internet access: If one
is trying to limit one’s Internet visitors to a few prescribed
sites, maximum chance is that he will not like it. Similarly,
mobile Internet service providers need to be more open and grow
the market first. The cellular service provider can easily try
to dominate over independent WAP access/service providers, by
technically allowing only those subscribers accessing its portal
and gateway to access mobile Internet. That would be unfortunate
as it would slow down uptake of usage. More the WAP-enabled
sites that a subscriber can surf on his cell phone, more will he
be attracted to go in for a WAP phone and surf the mobile
Internet.
Mobile surfing
experience: The greatest
objective of mobile solution providers and mobile Internet
service providers should be to make the mobile surfing
experience a rich one. Mobile Internet’s future also depends
on how sticky can you make the hits coming from mobile phones.
Presently, WAP gateways are not able to speak to each other
efficiently in spite of WAP specifications. Also, it is not yet
easy to do a smooth conversion of HTML files into WML format to
enable the HTML pages to be also seen on phones. Browser/screen
size is another issue. How does a WAP site developer design the
WML decks (equivalent to HTML pages) to look good irrespective
of the phone screen/browser that you are seeing the decks on? If
the screens vary in size how does one keep the resolution
uniform on all sizes? The vendors need to not only tackle such
issues, they need to educate the buyers of their products, be it
the gateway/server or a phone.
Battery life of a
WAP phone: If a phone is
to be used continuously for several minutes, then battery
life certainly is an issue. Though there are talks of much more
powerful and lighter batteries called polymer lithium-ion
batteries, which will have four times longer life than current
lithium-ion batteries, it is not clear when they will come to
the market.