Mobile net gateway spells trouble for Wap

Services company Logica has launched a gateway product that will let internet mobile phones read content directly from regular websites, without the content having to be rewritten.

The gateway, called m-WorldPortal, will be the world's first compact HTML (cHTML) commercial gateway and could spell the end of the road for Wireless Application Protocol (Wap) services, which require website operators to write Wap-specific versions of their sites.

Only available in Japan so far, cHTML is an internet mark-up language which is similar to the widely used HTML. Using cHTML, content providers can develop applications quickly without having to rely on using Wap converters.

Gateways are used by Wap portal service providers, such as mobile network operators, to provide a connection between internet servers and the mobile phone network.

Frank Eastaughffe, head of mobile internet at Logica, said: "We have made a very clear and conscious decision when launching the m-WorldPortal to make sure that it could handle a number of different mark-up languages. We wanted to give mobile operators the opportunity to future-proof their mobile internet strategy and not tie it to one particular technology."

Logica will become the latest thorn in Wap's side, following months of criticism for slow downloads and costly services. News that Japanese mobile operator DoCoMo is mulling over a move into the UK market could be another blow and will cast further doubt on the technology's long-term future.

According to the Financial Times, DoCoMo is considering joining forces with TIW, who secured a licence in the UK's third-generation mobile licence auction, and Hutchinson Whampoa to develop next-generation services in the UK.

DoCoMo operates an alternative to Wap technology called iMode and has around seven million subscribers in Japan. Earlier this month, industry experts warned that iMode technology, based on a cut-down version of HTML, could give Wap a run for its money in Europe.