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.
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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 PROTECTED]]
Sent: Wednesday, July 05, 2000 4:18 PM
To: Taylor, Johnny; [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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 PROTECTED]]
>Sent: Friday, June 30, 2000 7:54 AM
>To: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
>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)
>
