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WIRELESS APPLICATION PROTOCOL FORUM SURPASSES 250 MEMBERS Members address interoperability, future enhancements of the WAP Specification WAP Version 1.2 Announced in Sydney SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA - (8 DECEMBER, 1999) - According to the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) Forum, the number of mobile phone subscribers is expected to reach 500 million worldwide by 2003, and by that time 75 percent of all mobile phones will be Internet-enabled. Representatives from the world�s leading technology companies gathered together in Sydney today at the members meeting of the WAP Forum to demonstrate the latest developments in WAP technology. The demonstration was organised to coincide with a Sydney meeting of representatives from the more than 250 member companies comprising the WAP Forum. The WAP Forum is meeting for the fifth time this year to discuss methods to advance the development of WAP technology and ensure that users of portable devices can securely access and instantly interact with Internet/intranet information and other forms of wireless data through cross-industry interoperability. To ensure interoperability, the WAP Forum has selected The Open Group, a vendor and technology-neutral consortium dedicated to enterprise integration, to develop automated tests, to ensure wireless vendor's products are meeting the WAP specifications, and to develop and manage certification of wireless vendor's products. The WAP Forum has recently enjoyed a dramatic rise in membership, with 52 new members joining the association since September this year. WAP Forum membership is open to all industry participants, and the group�s members represent the majority of the leading players in the global communications technology sector. Handset manufacturers representing 95 per cent of the world market have committed to shipping WAP-enabled devices, while carriers, representing more than 100 million subscribers internationally have also joined WAP. New members include:
The Forum is also releasing the WAP Version 1.2 specification in Sydney. The latest version of the specification is designed to further enable the rapid commercial deployment of WAP-ready products worldwide. With WAP technology, consumer and business users of wireless devices have access to mobile media services, such as: WAP Forum Board Chairman, Gregory Williams, said the timing of the Australian gathering meant WAP members were meeting at the most exciting time in the WAP Forum�s history. The WAP Forum has fostered international cooperation in the development of WAP technologies, and has culminated in a wealth of exciting new services for wireless consumers. Developments in WAP have moved ahead in leaps and bounds in recent times, and the Forum is continuing to encourage this growth, as well as addressing issues that are vital to the future of WAP. For example, we are addressing methods to ensure interoperability between WAP Forum members as well as the ongoing maintenance of a program for developers intending to make use of the WAP logo to validate WML-compliant content. However, this is only the beginning, and the continued surge in WAP Forum membership will ensure we improve and enhance WAP as we head into the next millennium,� he said. This vision was reinforced in a recent study by the Gartner Group that predicted mobile and wireless technologies would be the main driver in e-commerce solutions over the next few years. This finding was coupled with a study showing that more than 95 per cent of new mobile phones are expected to be WAP enabled within the next five years. The WAP Forum is an industry association that has developed the de-facto world standard for wireless information and telephony services on digital mobile phones and other wireless terminals. Handset manufacturers representing 95 per cent of the world market across all technologies have committed to shipping WAP-enabled devices. Carriers representing more than 100 million subscribers worldwide have joined WAP. WAP Forum membership is open to all industry participants. For further details on the Forum and its members, please visit the Forum's Web site at www.wapforum.org. WAP and all WAP-based marks are trademarks or registered trademarks of Wireless Application Protocol Forum Ltd.
All company, brand and product names may be trademarks that are the sole property of their respective owners. All Rights Reserved.
For further information contact: Luisa Handem Carmel Nola |
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©2001 Wireless Application Protocol Forum Ltd. All Rights Reserved.
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