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To: gdichaz who wrote (23930)	4/30/2000 5:09:00 PM
From: gdichaz	Respond to of 54805

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To: gdichaz who wrote (23930)	5/7/2000 10:56:00 AM
From: Eric L	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 54805

Cha2, Re: WAP utilization by CDMA carriers v. GSM carriers. << Eric L's comments ... Nokia (a major WAP supplier) and other equipment suppliers who focus still on GSM find that WAP is an essential element in permitting GSM (through the GSM upgrade GPRS) to squeeze enough into its data provision (its speed) to serve some important data requirements. Qualcomm does not require that squeeze since both 1XRTT and HDR make that unnecessary. >> My first thought is that WAP exists more to format web based text data for the tiny display of a handset, than it does to speed data transmission (although this is an important function for 2G GSM or CDMA, it will be less important with 2.5G GPRS or IS-95 B) or any 3G air interface. My second thought is that WAP is potentially just as important to the cdma community as it is to the GSM community and perhaps more so, since within the GSM community which has been using data services since 1992, there exist today, 2 viable alternatives to WAP. They are the SIM Toolkit & the SIM microbrowser. 1. The first alternative is SIM Toolkit (STK) which is a set of 10 commands that were standardized as part of the GSM Phase 2+ specifications in 1997. cdmaOne has no equivalent. Much to the chagrin of handset manufacturers, STK changed the role of the SIM from being a passive slave to the handset to a proactive role capable of initiating applications that enable data services and modify the personality of the handset. The first handset with STK was delivered by Alcatel to Cellnet in 1997. The SIM was supplied by Gemplus and was used to deliver financial services for Barclay Bank. While some see STK which was available as being competitive with WAP, it can be complementary to WAP. 2. The micro-browser on SIM also offers an alternative to WAP within the GSM/GPRS community and I have attached a recent article on this subject below. Please note that the carrier referenced in the article will probably be the first in the US to offer commercial wireless data services at speeds greater than 9.6/14.4 kbps (albeit in limited geography. My third thought is that while enhanced data rates (which will be available in all the 2.5G air interfaces and 3G modes of operation) are important, meaningful data applications are more important, and the devices we employ to make use of them, are perhaps even more important. WAP phones (and i-mode alternatives) are the rage in Asia and Europe where web access is not as widely available as it is here. I for one have difficulty finding any practical application for my WAP enabled phone and other than using it occasionally to get a QCOM quote, I instead use proxy servers (AvantGo & PrixiNet for web access). Both AvantGo & ProxiNet deliver data to my Palm appliance faster than my V.90 modem (which consistently connects at 49.3 kbps) delivers it to my desktop. My eyes are to old, my fingers too large, and my patience to thin, to use the Mickey Mouse MMI of any WAP enabled phone I have ever seen. BTW: I just retired my dual-mode WAP enabled (UP browser) Qualcomm QCP860 (which I really liked, much) for a tri-mode dual band WAP enabled (UP browser) Audiovox CDM-9000. This decision was necessitated by the fact that Verizon's new Single Rate USA plan requires a tri-mode phone. I save $60 a month switching from the old BAM national plan to the new one. The decision was something of a compromise in that no data cable is yet available for the CDM-9000 (promised this month) which means that if I need web access or want e-mail on the road, I use my GSM worldphone, since WAP on a mobile phone does not hack it for me. Article I referenced on the SIM browser is as follows: U.S. OPERATOR TO OFFER MOBILE INTERNET WITH SMART CARDS cardtech.faulknergray.com May 7, 2000 >> Bellevue, Wash. based VoiceStream Wireless Corp., the largest GSM (Global System for Mobile communications) operator in the United States with its acquisitions of Omnipoint Corp. and Aerial Communications, will put a mini-Web browser on its SIM smart cards starting this summer, sources say. The browsers will let many of VoiceStream's more than 2 million customers access Web sites formatted to be viewed on the small mobile handset screens. The SIM (subscriber identity module) cards run inside the handsets. A few other carriers have rolled out browser cards in Europe and Asia, and more plan to serve up the mobile Internet with the browser cards this year. A greater number of mobile carriers are offering customers Internet access through WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) phones, which VoiceStream also plans to roll out, using a SIM card for identification and security, sources say. VoiceStream declined comment. All told, GSM operators in the United States serve roughly 6 million customers, less than 10% of the total digital and analog cell phone customers in the country. << - Eric -