-Presented By- Arati Avhad Shirali Agrawal Xue Li WAP -Presented By- Arati Avhad Shirali Agrawal Xue Li

What is WAP?

What led to this new Technology? Checking your accounts before shopping or ordering tickets for tonight's concert no longer requires a PC. The demand for access to information anywhere and anytime has led to a new technology -Wireless Application Protocol, abrreviated to WAP.

The WAP Forum Its founder members include Nokia, Ericsson, Motorola and Phone.com. Essentailly, WAP is the technology that makes it possible to link wireless devices (such as mobile phones) to the Internet by translating internet information so it can be displayed on the display screen of a mobile telephone or other portable devices.

What Exactly is WAP? Is an applicaton communication protocol Is used to access services and information Is inherited from internet standards Is for handheld devices such as mobile phones Enables the creating of web applications for mobile devices by using the mark-up language WML .

Special Constraints Small screen size. Only a small amount of information can be displayed at once. Limited processing power. Lack of a full keyboard, making it awkward for the user to enter information. There are some handheld devices that feature a full keyboard, but they are the exception.

Special Constraints Slow connection speeds. Currently, wireless connection speeds are around 9600 bits per second. Costly access. Users are generally paying by the minute or the kilobyte to use a wireless application. It is important to allow them to access information

WAP Application Architecture Follows client-server paradigm used by the Internet WAP gateway

a) WAP used to access the Internet b) WAP used to access an intranet c) the Internet architecture

Components in WAP WAP Device WAP Client, WAP Browser, Microbrowser User Agent WAP Gateway Network Operator Bearer Services Content/Origin/Application Server

WAP Client WAE User Agent (Wireless Application Environment User Agent) WTA User Agent (Wireless Telephony Applications User Agent) WAP Stack

WAP Gateway (1) Protocol conversion — connecting different types of network

WAP Gateway (2) Encoding / Decoding

WAP Gateway (3) Translates of encrypted data Implements interface for each of the bearers Provides interface for accessing WTA server

WAP Protocol Stack

WAP Layers and Web Protocol Stack

Wireless Application Environment WML (Wireless Markup Language) WMLScript WTA

WML Byte-encoded for optimization Well formed and Valid Decks of cards cards, image, task and event, variables and context An example: <wml> <card id=“card1” title=“Welcome”> <p>Hello WAP developer!</p> <do type=“pre” name=“back” label=“Return”></pre></do><br> <a href=“#card2”>Next</a> <onevent type=“onpick”><go href=“choice.wml”></onevent> </card> </wml>

WMLScript Based on ECMAScript Is compiled into binary files called compilation units A dynamically typed language (data type: integer, boolean, floating point, string) Validating the input (data type: invalid) Access to the device facilities Methods of interacting with the user (e.g. display error messages)

WTA and WTAI An example of a Public WTAI function: This function may be accessed from the WMLScript as the following library call: WTAPublic.make Call(“4221234”); Alternatively, it may be accessed from WML through the following URL: Wtai://wp/mc;4221234;

Wireless Session Protocol Primitives Connection oriented session services Push: Confirmed push Unconfirmed push Connectionless session services

Wireless Transaction Protocol Unreliable Request Reliable Request Reliable Request with on Result Message

Wireless Transport Layer Security (optional) Privacy, Server Authentication, Client Authentication, Data Integrity

Wireless Networks

WAP Applications M-commerce- shopping, ticket purchases, reservations, comparison shopping Finance- statements, fund transfer, shares trading M-billing- notification, presentation, payment of bills Enterprise Access- inventory, shipment/sales updates, email access Entertainment- games, gambling, interactive multiplayer events Surprisingly, WAP didn’t get as popular in USA as it got in Western Europe and Asia. M-commerce- Amazon.com is available on WAP too. According to the WAP Forum, the predictions for m-commerce Success: 2000: Under $1 billion in transactions 2004: 130 million customers, 14 billion transactions per year Finance- Banks like Citicorp, Allied Irish bank offers their services on WAP too. Account holders of these banks can see their monthly statements, make transfers from their mobile phones. Enterprise Access- Secure and authenticated access to the company’s internal applications such as inventory can be given. WAP can make use of LDAP to validate the authenticity of the user. Entertainment- Competitive games such as Battleships are available through cellular networks. Virgin Mobile in the UK offers to download latest pop hits to customers in a daily offering.

WAP Applications Messaging- Email, SMS, chat Travel- Scheduling, reservations, advisories M-care- customer service, payment status, other backroom operations Location-smart services- traffic reports, parking information, store discounts, event recommendations PUSHed services- The services which are provided with no request made by the user. Email alerts, stock alerts, special deal notifications Messaging- Most popular mobile Internet service is likely to be e-mail. SMS (short Message Service) have proved a big success in the western Europe and Asia. About 223 billion mobile short text messages were exchanged in the world, in the year of 2001. Online dating is very popular application using mobile chat, especially in Japan. Travel- Omnitel from Italy gives the flight information, traffic updates. Continental Airline also has it’s WAP site. Location smart services- One of the most significant advantages of Internet access from mobile rather than your PC is the ability to instantly identify users geographic location. This opens up a huge opportunity for highly customized services. The content providers will know where their users are geographically and will be able to direct them to specific destinations - restaurants or theaters. So think of content that knows where the user is, and offers content tailored to that geography. Weather forecasts, restaurant locations (with table availability and instant reservations fast food delivery, finding and booking a plumber, dating services (with pre-recorded video profiles and e-mail or voicemail exchanges) any service where physical proximity is important can migrate a vital part of its value-added to the new devices. PUSHed services- In all the applications we have seen so far, the user has to make a request to the server to get a specific service. But it’s possible for the server to send an information without the user requesting it. For example notification when you get a new email, stock alerts, special deals. It is possible using the PUSH technology, which was added in the specifications for WAP 1.2. WAP architecture has grown to include Push Proxy Gateway (PPG), which receives the push requests from the origin servers and forwards them to the WAP terminals. Some network operators can take undue advantage of this technology by using it to send advertisements, which can be annoying for most of the users.

Why WAP? The number of people having wireless devices are more than the people having PC Access to information/services anytime from anywhere The applications described are already available on the Internet then why WAP? Price of a PC is high and the constant improvements have kept it like that. For many people it is at the bottom of the list of priorities. Many people don’t like working behind the computer. Mobile phones are very cheap compared to PC so the number of people having WAP devices are more than the people having PC and the difference is increasing very fast. Like watch, you can carry mobile phone wherever you go so you can always be connected to the source of information. It saves your valuable time since you can do some routine things like checking emails, payment of bills while in travel.   However, most important of all, wireless subscribers have a different set of essential desires and needs than desktop or even laptop Internet users. Hence one should not start converting all the sites available on the Internet into WAP sites. While developing an application for the WAP one should be aware of the type of information, that potential users would like to access from the cell phone along with the limitations of WAP devices such as smaller display, low bandwidth, connection charges and limited key board. For example, there is no point in converting entire “Rockefeller Park Information System” into WAP site. Visitors of the park would like to have trail maps, directions, park security phone numbers be available on the WAP. This way they don’t need to carry printouts with them. But there is no point in putting panoramic views on the small display of cell phones (with WAP 2.0, it’s possible to add animation and color images) when visitors can enjoy those views with their own eyes while in the park.

Existing WAP Sites College on the move – The Central Carolina Technical College’s WAP site http://wap.sum.tec.sc.us WAP Portal- http://wap.wapportal.com ElectricNews.Net- tech news via WAP http://adlib.ie/enn/waphome.wml Continental Airline- Flight status, itinerary, schedules, seat availability at http://pda.continental.com UK Entertainment Center- http://www.ents24.com/index.wml And Many More… College on the move – The Central Carolina Technical College WAP site contains information on all the college degrees, administration information, selected course catalogs, student job catalogs, searchable directories, and more. On the go? Out of state? Transferring to another base? Students and Prospective students can keep touch with all the college news, degree information, student account, registration, catalogs, and much more by visiting the link off of their wireless-web enabled phone. WAP Portal- Similar to yahoo.com and excite.com. These two sites are available on both, WAP and web. A portal provides lists of links grouped in categories, save user preferences, bookmark the favorite URLs, screening out the subjects that user is not interested in. This saves lot of time, since WAP browsing can be time consuming, since we have no proper keyboard and mouse available and the speed of connection is pretty low. Different network operators own different WAP portal addresses and it is specified in the settings of WAP enabled device. So just like on a web browser, you will be pointed there whenever you start a WAP session.

What’s Next… WAP 2.0 will support… XHTML (WML2) TCP Color graphics Animation Large file downloading Location-smart services Pop-up/context sensitive menus Data synchronization with desktop PIM Current standard for WAP is WAP 1.2.1. WAP Forum introduced specifications for WAP 2.0 in 2001.

What’s Next… WAP over General Packet Radio Service GPRS is a packet-switched technology Faster than conventional GSM/CDMA technology. GPRS will respond to data transfer request in less than 0.25 seconds compared to at least 30 seconds with GSM Always connected With GPRS Data transfer rate will be between 20 and 30 Kbps compared to 9.6 Kbps over GSM GSM/CDMA is circuit switched technology. The implications of this are caller needs to establish a connection and maintain it in order to effect data transfer in either direction. Just like a “dial-up” service for Internet. Packet switched technology such as GPRS and 3G allows mobile device to establish a connection with their carrier, which is then maintained indefinitely. Data transfer rate can be very high since data is transferred in packets. Data can be sent or received with billing based on data transferred as opposed to connection time as with current GSM/CDMA systems. No need to reestablish connection through the tedious dial in and hand shaking procedures that are involved using the current generation of circuit switched networks. In addition to existing services, the characteristics of GPRS - together with new business models - open up a new set of opportunities. For instance, the new medium is ideal for interactive games played between two or more participants. These may be the kind of quick-response games enjoyed by children and teenagers, or games with a slower pace, such as chess, which take longer to conclude. Each player can make choices while mobile, and the moves can then be wirelessly dispatched. The advantages are also valid for other applications that involve real-time interaction or long lasting sessions, such as online auctions, chat rooms, newsgroups, and online gambling. Fast response times together with a reasonably low price level will also enable increased usage of mobile services.

What’s Next… WAP over Bluetooth Enables the user to connect through, and interact with devices in their proximity. Phone enabled with WAP over Bluetooth can be used as an interactive remote control. Especially for devices containing WAP browsers, using Bluetooth to complement existing WAP services for cellular networks creates an effective combination. It not only avoids expensive and time-consuming cellular connections, but also offers localized and more interactive WAP services. Few weeks back Kannan gave a nice presentation on Bluetooth so I won’t talk much about the technical details of Bluetooth. A cell phone enabled with WAP over Bluetooth can be used as an interactive remote control. The user can control a Bluetooth device by browsing the device's WAP pages, which contain special links that trigger the device's functions. This offers endless possibilities, for instance using the phone as a light switch or door key, or to control the home alarm system. Let's look more closely at how Bluetooth could function as a door key: The user approaches a door and actively connects to it with a Bluetooth-enabled phone. The door's WAP homepage is automatically displayed allowing the user to select an action - in this case 'lock' or 'unlock'. This action is basically a WAP request sent to the WAP server, and it is the server that executes a script triggering the actual lock/unlock operation.

What’s Next… WAP and VoiceXML Enables data input/output in the form of Voice Enables Voice Browsing Combining VoiceXML and WAP can be a powerful way of developing applications. Much of interaction is better done spoken instead of typing text, especially when the keyboard is not full fledged. With VoiceXML one can do Voice browsing and input the text just by saying it. Possible example is information site for movies. If you want to look for a specific movie, you can just say it’s name rather than typing it which would save lot of time and money since WAP users are charged for the time they are connected.

What’s Next… Power consumption is a very critical issue and even if high speeds are available power considerations may limit the data speeds. With the emergence of 3G technologies, the constraint on the low data rates may not be as limiting as it is today but it must be understood clearly that, as bandwidth increases, the handset’s power consumption also increases which further taxes the already limited battery life of a mobile device. Therefore, even as wireless networks improve their ability to deliver higher bandwidth, the power availability at the handset will still limit the effective throughput of data to and from the device. A wireless data solution must be able to overcome these network limitations and still deliver a satisfactory user experience.

What’s Next… By 2004, the number of WAP users across the globe is estimated to grow to well over 300 million (source: Ovum). In part, this growth is driven by the introduction of General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), WAP 2.0, Bluetooth, VoiceXML and Mobile Commerce. In conclusion, the future for WAP is “Success”. But it doesn’t mean the end of the PC; Radio didn’t kill the newspaper, TV didn’t kill the radio, and the VCR didn’t kill cinema – there is always room for more than one media. It simply means that there is more than one way of accessing information from the Internet, and method you choose depends on who you are, where you are and what you want.

Thank You!!!