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Do you know? How did the technology stack behind WAP support the initial mobile web browsing?
Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is a long-obsolete technology standard for accessing information over mobile cellular networks. Since its launch in 1999, WAP has allowed users with compatible mobile devices to browse content such as news, weather and sporting events, provided by mobile network operators and designed for the limited functionality of mobile devices. Before the introduction of WAP, mobile service providers had very limited opportunities to provide interactive data services, but they needed interactivity to support Internet and web applications. Despite being a hit upon launch, WAP encountered some criticism. However, the introduction of the GPRS network provides faster speeds and improves the WAP experience. WAP content is accessed through a WAP browser, which is similar to a standard web browser but is designed to read pages specifically designed for WAP rather than HTML.
WAP content is organized in the form of "cards". These cards are similar to HTML web pages and are units used for data transmission in WAP. Each card has its own unique URL.
Technical specifications
WAP stacking
The WAP standard describes a protocol suite, or stack, that allows interoperability between WAP devices and software with different network technologies, such as GSM and IS-95, also known as CDMA. The lowest layer protocol in the suite is the Wireless Datagram Protocol (WDP), which acts as an adaptation layer to make every data network look like UDP at the upper layers, by providing unreliable data transmission.
WAP websites are written in WML, a markup language, and WAP provides content in the form of "decks" with multiple cards.
The URL of WAP can be entered in the address bar, similar to the URL in HTTP. WAP is designed to operate in bandwidth-constrained networks by compressing data before transmitting it.
WAP push
WAP Push is included in the specification, allowing WAP content to be pushed to mobile handheld devices with minimal user intervention. A WAP push is a specially encoded message that includes a link to a WAP address.
A variant of WAP push, namely service loading (SL), can directly open the browser to display WAP content without user interaction.
WAP 2.0
In 2002, a redesigned version 2.0 was launched. This version uses simplified XHTML and supports end-to-end HTTP, abandoning the old gateway and custom protocol suite.
History
The WAP Forum was established in 1998 by Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia and Wireless Planet. The forum's primary goal is to unify multiple wireless technologies into a standardized protocol. In 1999, Dutch mobile operator Telfort BV became the first company to launch a WAP website.
Many commentators have raised many questions about the use of WAP, pointing out that it brings a huge gap between the user experience and the non-mobile Internet experience.
Criticisms and lessons
Much of WAP's controversy stems from its disconnect from traditional web pages, particularly regarding hardware and specifications. Early WAP standards contained many optional features and insufficient requirements, resulting in wide variations in actual behavior between compatible devices.
Protocol design lessons
WAP was originally designed to provide protocol independence across different protocols. With the development of technology, the design of WAP was too complex and could not respond to the needs of the time more simply and directly. This makes WAP users face more diverse adaptation problems.
Although WAP played an important role in the early mobile Internet process, as technology advances, it is gradually replaced by newer standards. Today, when we look back on this history, do you think about what new possibilities future technological development will bring to mankind?
