Companies should be wary of the current hype surrounding Wireless Application Protocol (WAP), and the technology should form part of a broader information delivery strategy rather than be seen in isolation.
This is according to Mike Hamilton, director of lines of business at Logical, Datatec`s systems and integration company, who adds that WAP is only one of many methods of information delivery that corporates should consider.
"The audience companies need to address from an electronic point of view goes beyond that which they can reach via WAP," Hamilton says. "WAP is not a means of accessing the Internet but should be used only for specific information applications."
Among the reasons for his caution is the prohibitive cost of online communication. The only solution to this, Hamilton stresses, is for the cellular providers to change their tariff structure and make data access much cheaper.
"WAP also has restrictive capabilities when it comes to graphical displays. Added to this, the fact that when people are in a `normal` business environment, they prefer to use traditional equipment and telephones for information display."
In essence, WAP provides mobile, wireless Internet access. More specifically, it is a medium for delivering Internet-type content to a cellphone. By definition this means small screen and, for now, low-bandwidth and a monochrome display. In addition, a GSM cellphone is a reasonably secure device protected by one or more PINs authenticated by a secure smart card. The signal itself is scrambled.
"The first-mentioned characteristics mean that WAP cannot replace the world wide web as we know it, while the latter make it inherently suitable to transactional applications," he explains. "In fact, transactional applications fit these limitations quite well - short messages requiring simple selections, minimal text feedback and secure confirmation.
"This underscores the fact that WAP is very much niche targeted and novelty targeted, and the shortcomings of the technology become obvious."
Hamilton sees WAP as an "individual convenience tool" which is still very proprietary in South Africa.
"Apart from several infrastructural inhibitors and regulatory developments, which also play a part, the availability of WAP devices is not meeting the novelty demand locally," he says.
However, he concedes that whichever way we look at WAP, it does open up new opportunities for traditional and non-traditional trading and banking, and suggests at the very least, a change in consumer routine.
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