Overview of the WAP66 Portal Server by Modcomp/CSPI
We sent the following out to our people describing The new WAP66 portal Server developed by Modcomp/CSPI so they would have a better understanding of what it is, how it's used and a view of its marketplace.
Companies such as AT&T, Telecom Italia, E-Plus and some service providers are interested in WAP66 because this system is easy to install, It connects to Oracle, Informix, Sybase or even shareware-SQL and therefore it is ideal for WAP-hosting purposes (like Apache or Netscape is ideal for Web-Hosting). Modcomp is the developer of this product which is finding early acceptance in Europe due to Modcomp's multi-office presence in Europe with several offices in Germany, England and France. Modcomp was at one time a unit of the Mercedes Group (the car maker) and CSPI bought it three years ago
WAP66 Overview
WAP66 is a powerful software tool that enables anyone to define and operate their own WAP portal. It basically delivers a configurable menu system with basic functions for content-provisioning. It delivers an open interface which can be used to integrate specialized solutions - such as the Golf application CSPI recently announced.
A WAP66 PortalServer connects to the Internet like a Web-Server does. This means that WAP66 has all the options that are known in the TCP/IP world and can be integrated into a into a Corporate Extranet, Intranet or VPN. With an additional WAP-gateway, it can connect with the telephone company directly, making it possible to make WAP-content accessible via 1-800 numbers, for example.
The market can be divided into four segments: Infrastructure technology, WAP-Servers, Application and devices/browsers.
1. Infrastructure Technology companies.
These companies specialize in the implementation of WAP standards, making it possible that cell phones and PDAs (Pesonal Data Assistants) can actually communicate thru the air. The WAP66 is a technology driven software that forms the so-called WAP-Gateway. This Gateway translates the TCP/IP protocol to WAP-protocol used by Companies including NOKIA (Finland), PHONE.COM (US), NetLife (Germany), Dr. Materna (Germany), Ericsson (Sweden), Aethos (UK).
2. WAP-Servers
A WAP-Server is needed to provide the desired WML-files that a cell phone or any other WAP-browser understands. WAP66 is located in this area. WAP66 is a competitor with the above WAP-server manufacturers, but the WAP66 has some nice features that they don't provide. Oracle validates the CSPI WAP66 portal server as it also offers its strategic platform PORTAL-TO-GO. Oracle exhibited its software at the CeBIT but not at the iEC. Some visitors to the CSPI booth at CeBIT said: "Well, we have seen Oracle-to-Go. It doesn't work yet and will cost around 100 K$. Now, does your software already work?"
AT&T, Telecom Italia, E-Plus and some service providers are interested in WAP66 because it's easy to install, can handle several instances of portals on one CPU, and does not need the presence of a multi-$ database. It connects
to Oracle, Informix, Sybase or even shareware-SQL and therefore it is ideal for WAP-hosting and web-hosting applications.
3. Applications
When WAP became popular half a year ago, many many many companies tried to find the "one and only application for WAP". The result is a huge market of email-frontends, ToDo-Frontends and so on, each connecting to a particular system, like Notes or Outlook and so on. There are
also many applications dedicated for the use with mobile-banking, mobile-reservation and mobile-anything. WAP66 does not focus on specific applications. The Golf-application is just a compilation of WAP66 possibilities and will help Modcomp/CSPI to sell the product to application developers. The WAP66 can be used as the connection and portal engine, concentrating on a specific application that is installed on top.
(this report was prepared by an independent research firm) |
