With the shift from wired to wireless communications and particularly the introduction of WAP (Wireless Application Protocol), there's a new dimension to Internet mobility. Bringing this to the local market and making WAP more accessible to South Africans, Siemens Telecommunications has developed a WAP email application for World Online.
In bringing the Internet and email to cellular users - which in South Africa outweighs the number of people who own or have access to PCs - WAP technology adds Internet and data communications to the increasing repertoire of functions available to the mobile worker. Anyone with a WAP mobile phone can obtain their own email address and get connected to the world through text - a cheaper and sometimes less intrusive form of communication.
"With the Siemens WAP Mail application, hosted on the World Online WAP Portal, (http://mobile.worldonline.co.za), World Online now offers all internet e-mail users the ability to access their email, anywhere, anytime. Once a user's personal e-mail address is accessed - and this applies to multiple email accounts - unread e-mail messages are forwarded as text to the WAP compatible cellular phone," says Gary Cousins of Siemens Telecommunications.
Rather than operating as a stand-alone mail server, explains Cousins, the Siemens WAP mail server is designed to interface to existing mail servers using the POP3 protocol. 'Unlike the PC-based POP3 protocol, the contents of the mailbox are not downloaded and the mail is left on the server. In this way each message is only retrieved when specifically requested by the user and a copy of all mail is left in the mailbox until purposefully deleted."
"As email is not downloaded onto the WAP phone, users can browse through a list of headers, and select only those they wish to read in full," continues Cousins. "The full email can then be read normally but will still be left intact in the user's email account. Users may select to reply from a range of standard options - reply, forward or delete - and, to make it quick, can choose a response from a standard set of responses such as 'yes, 'no,' 'phone me' and the like. Other features include a default mailbox which can be specified for quick access to mail."
"Using the World Online service to read email on a WAP phone is not restricted to a specific cellular network, but Vodacom subscribers are able to receive free SMS notification of any new email," says Managing Director of World Online, Graeme Victor.
"The Siemens World Online WAP email application is just one of many new projects designed to propel South Africa into the technology revolution," says Cousins. "Other WAP projects include the development of a WAP version of the popular WebCam, a WAP auctioning service, Wap Directory, WAP e-commerce, WAP banking and WAP Telnet."
"Siemens is proud to be at the forefront of telecommunications in South Africa. With a complete portfolio of WAP products and regarded by Siemens worldwide as the centre of competency for WAP, our commitment locally is firmly entrenched," Cousins concludes.
Share