TABLE OF CONTENTS The Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is an open specification that enables mobile users to access and interact with information and services. WAP was developed by the WAP Forum, an industry group set up in 1997, which has now been consolidated into the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA).
The OMA was formed in June 2002 by nearly 200 companies, including mobile operators, device manufacturers, and content and service providers. The OMA aims to represent the whole mobile value chain, and consolidate into one organization all specification activities in the mobile world (Figure 13.1). The OMA has a number of goals:
To deliver high-quality, open technical specifications based upon market requirements that drive modularity, extensibility and consistency amongst enablers to reduce industry implementation efforts
To ensure that OMA service enabler specifications provide interoperability across different devices, geographies, service providers, operators and networks, to facilitate interoperability of the resulting product implementations
To be the catalyst for the consolidation of standards activity within the mobile data service industry; working in conjunction with other existing standards organizations and the industry to improve interoperability and decrease operational costs for all involved
To provide value and benefits to members in OMA from all parts of the value chain, including content and service providers, information technology providers, mobile operators and wireless vendors, such that they elect actively to participate in the organization.
(Source: The OMA website, http://www.openmobilealliance.org/about_OMA/index.html).
WAP works in a similar way to the Internet users can...
