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A wireless world beckons India

The buzz word is no more the Web! It is WAP! Or, the wireless application protocol for the uninitiated. A technology of the new millennium that is waiting in the wings to be lapped up by the IT whiz kids of India so that the country can leap frog into the wireless world of mobile computing and digital surfing in the coming decade.

It's a message that went out loud and clear on Wednesday at the inaugural session of WAPCON2000, a two-day conference on wireless Internet technologies, organised by the Manufacturers' Association for Information Technology, or MAIT, the Consortium of Electronic Industries of Karnataka, or CLIK, the Indian Institute of Science, or IISc, and the Bangalore-based Integra Micro Systems Limited, and sponsored by Rediff.com.

In order to catch up with the next generation of technology revolution or the 'fifth wave' of the human race, the organising partners have joined hands to form a consortium for launching India's WAP initiative and cash-in on the emerging wireless internet technologies, or iWIN, sweeping the world over.

Unfolding the grandiose plans for the current decade, state IT secretary Vivek Kulkarni said the main objectives of iWIN is to play the role of advisory body to the Government of India in framing WAP, Bluetooth, and associated technologies' related laws, enforcement directives, and other regulations.

"iWIN will advise the government and other public sectors of national interest to facilitate the rapid deployment of WAP, Bluetooth, and associated technologies. The game plan is to ensure that the IT techies across the country will get enough 'air cover' to emerge as global players in WAP and Bluetooth technologies."

In the key-note address at the inaugural session, Motorola India Electronics Limited managing director Mohan Kumar affirmed that the Indian IT industry, especially the thousands of high-tech software professionals have a once-in-a-life-time opportunity to take advantage of the emerging challenges in the wireless world.

"iWIN will help India to assume leadership in the future wireless Internet technologies and their deployment worldwide. To begin with, the organisation will generate mass awareness about the socio-economic benefits of WAP, Bluetooth, and associated technologies in use by the starta across the board and their utility value in every day life, saving time and access costs."

According to IISc's Information Science and Services chairman N Balakrishnan, iWIN will take up the cause of India in the world fora for representing its interest in the international WAP, Bluetooth, and other associated bodies.

"iWIN will soon develop and support a few internet sites in India to host WAP, Bluetooth, and their associated technologies' standards; act as a referral agency, and be their international gateway. It will also facilitate exchange of information and technology related to them; maintain a directory of WAP services; certify their products and service compliance."

The strategy will be to update Indian software and users' community with the latest happenings in emerging wireless technologies, specially WAP and Bluetooth, which is a specification designed to enable wireless communication between small mobile devices. "The Bluetooth will eliminate the need for proprietary cables, which are currently required to enable device connectivity."

The WAP is an open, global specification that empowers mobile users with wireless devices to easily access and interact with information and services instantly from anywhere and at anytime.

It is estimated that by 2005, 600 million WAP-enabled mobile phones and several hundred millions PDAs (Personal Device Assistants) will be in use, leading to the emergence of mobile commerce or m-commerce in place of the present e-commerce trend.

Similarly, opportunities in Bluetooth will be 5-7 times that of WAP. "In terms of value, the WAP market size alone will be $ 1.7 trillion by 2005-6, and that of Bluetooth will be a whopping $ 8-10 million.

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