World Online, the former Vodacom Internet service provider (ISP) which is challenging M-Web in the dial-up sector, has launched a proxy service it says will substantially reduce the download time of most Web pages.
The WebOnAir Filter Proxy is an Ericsson software product designed to make surfing the Web via a cellular phone, at a maximum of 9.6kbps, a bearable experience.
The proxy uses graphic, HTML and text compression, which is reversed by a client application, filters out certain elements such as scripts and pre-requests objects from Web servers. The client application allows users to select a specific image quality and select filtering features.
"The biggest benefit is experienced when accessing large documents or pages containing high resolution graphics, which require more bandwidth," says World Online MD Graeme Victor. "Intense homepages that currently take, for example, three minutes to download to a laptop or wireless device, can now be downloaded in a minute or less with WebOnAir."
Ericsson says the proxy is aimed at laptops but can also be used on devices using the Windows CE or EPOC operating systems.
World Online provides the service through a dial-up number on the Vodacom network and shares in the revenue generated from access calls. The WebOnAir proxy is available to all users on a pay-as-you-use basis after registration, which World Online believes will help adoption. The company says it has around 12 000 users regularly using its current mobile access service.
World Online has a performance-based exclusive agreement with Ericsson to use the software in SA. It says the software is also in use in some European markets under a variety of names.
The client software is already available to users and a marketing campaign is to be launched later this month.
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