Wap use doubles but disappoints

The number of wireless application protocol (Wap) pages viewed over June is up 42 per cent on last year and now regularly exceeds a billion a month.

According to figures from the Mobile Data Association (MDA), 1.11 billion Wap pages were viewed during June, up from 784 million in June 2003. The MDA is forecasting 13 billion page impressions for Wap by the end of the year.

But Andy Buss, senior analyst at Canalys, commented: "If it's only doubled in the last year that's very disappointing.

"Current growth is mostly in ring tones and operator services, but a lot of that content has a charge and that puts people off using it. There's only so much money to go around and bills are high at the moment."

Euro 2004 clearly had an effect on the MDA's ring tone chart, which in June was headed by Baddiel And Skinner's Three Lions. Vindaloo by Fat Les and the official Euro 2004 song All Together Now were also in the top 10.