JSE-listed Accord Technologies is leading the way in Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) training, with its locally developed technical courses being snapped up around the world.
Bennie Marais, director of Accord Technologies joint-venture subsidiary Wireless Data Services (WDS), says demand for information about WAP is soaring ahead of the official launch of WAP-enabled cellular phone handsets, scheduled for April.
WAP is the de facto worldwide standard for providing Internet communications and advanced telephony services on digital mobile phones, pagers, personal digital assistants and other wireless terminals.
"It`s is fast becoming the hot issue in communications technology as the means to exploit the potential of mobile commerce (m-commerce). The problem is that it`s still such a new technology, very little is known about its effective implementation and utilisation," Marais explains.
"Experts predict well over 40 000 WAP phones will be in circulation by end-2000, and this number will rise to 150 000 within six months as prices for the handsets plummet to below R1 000.
"This will create enormous demand for WAP services and the rush is on for organisations to acquire the necessary know-how to meet consumer expectations," he adds.
The Accord/WDS course provides delegates with practical advice and tools to develop their own WAP applications. It has been adopted by the UK-based WDS which is presenting the SA courses at its operations in the US, the UK and Israel.
In SA, WDS has provided WAP training to the Arthur Andersen group as well as leading communications organisations including MTN and the Internet Solution. The company has also developed a special WAP portal to demonstrate the capabilities of the technology.
This portal (http://web.accgrp.co.za/accord/index.wml) includes demonstrations of virtual banking and a retail operation (with NetFlorist), as well as frequently asked questions about WAP, and a demonstration of a "Millionaire" trivia game.
According to Marais, the portal is constantly being expanded and will soon incorporate a WAP e-mail facility, ticket reservations, real-time share price information, a WAP Internet site search-engine, a parcel tracing facility for a courier company, and a WAP-chat forum.
"The portal provides a real-life demonstration of WAP capabilities, which ensures our training courses go beyond the theoretical to show what can be achieved with the technology," he concludes.
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