Wireless Application Protocol WAP

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Wireless Application ProtocolWAP

• Dr Alison Griffiths
• C203 Ext3292
• www.fcet.staffs.ac.uk/alg1/

Credit to Justin Champion
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Mobile Internet

• Originally perceived as one of the primary
  motivators for wireless data applications
• Hyped as Internet Anywhere
• Result was WAP
• Specified by handset manufacturers leading
  industry providers (WAP Forum now called Open
  Mobile Alliance)
• Version 1 1998
• Not a success so far

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Wired Internet

• HTTP at its simplest

• Designed without concern for bandwidth,
  persistence or delay
• Assumes TCP over IP
• Utilises DNS for logical to physical mapping
• Sophisticated Caching
• Posting assumes connection available

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Wired Internet Application Layer

• HTML allows
• Rich content
• Dynamic content
• Plug-ins
• Extensible
• Ignores heterogeneity of end-user systems
• Display sizes, resolutions
• User Interfaces
• Performance
• Audio support
• STORAGE

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Wireless Internet

• Almost antithesis of wired
• Bandwidth, persistence, delay are major problems
• TCP extremely inefficient over-the-air
• Caching cannot be guaranteed on client devices
• Device profiles extremely varied
• Displays
• Browsers
• Plug-ins
• Operating systems may be fixed at point of
  manufacture
• Device storage very limited
• Low processing power
• Need for new wireless-oriented protocol

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WAP Myth

• WAP IS NOT

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WAP as a Protocol (1.0)
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Wireless Application Environment (WAE)
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WAP Stack Example
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WAP 2.0

• July 2001
• Retains WAP 1.x
• Aspects of i-mode
• Full IP support
• TCP wireless profile
• TLS
• HTTP wireless profile
• 2nd generation browsers (WML, XHTMLMP)
• Composite Capabilities/Preference Profiles
  framework (CC/PP)
• For identifying device capabilities user
  preferences

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WAP Stack Example
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Review

• Overview of WAP

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Questions?