Slide 16.10: Mobile middleware   Slide 16.12: WAP demonstrations   Home

WAP (Wireless Application Protocol)

	WAP	i-mode
Developer	Open Mobile Alliance	NTT DoCoMo
Function	A protocol	A complete mobile Internet service
Host Language	WML (Wireless Markup Language)	cHTML (compact HTML)
Major Technology	WAP Gateway	Packet switched
Security	WTLS (Wireless Transport Layer Security)	SSL (Secure Socket Layer)
Key Features	Widely adopted and flexible	Highest number of users and easy to use

WAP is an open, global specification that allows users with handheld devices to easily access and interact with information and services instantly.


A request from a mobile station to a Web server for Internet-based content or services must first pass through a WAP proxy server. The proxy server translates the request from the WAP protocol stack to the WWW stack for use on the Internet. The proxy also handles the data encoding and decoding that lets the WAP client transmit and receive standard Internet-based information in a compact encoded format. This reduces the amount of data that is sent over the low-bandwidth wireless network.