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WAP still finding its feet in India

Neha Kapoor

MUMBAI, June 5

WIRELESS application protocol (WAP), the new age technology that provides instant connectivity, anytime, anywhere, may not take off in India for at least another year, according to experts.

``WAP in India is still at a nascent stage and it will take at least a year or two for the technology to become effectively operational here,'' Mr. R. Trivedi, Partner, Ernst and Young, said.

There are various constraints that will hamper widespread use of this service, the first being the cost of WAP-enabled handsets.

Most WAP-enabled mobile phones cost more than Rs. 20,000. A Nokia 7110, for instance, costs Rs. 23,299 and an Ericsson R320 is priced at Rs. 31,995. According to analysts, unless prices come down to around Rs. 10,000, WAP will be an expensive proposition .

``On the technological front, there is a limited amount of information that can be transmitted and downloaded on a mobile phone. Moreover, you cannot store information on handsets,'' Mr. Trivedi said.

There are also issues of security protocols that need to be dealt with to transfer information and carry out transactions, he added.

The speed at which data is transmitted is another problem, as the service is being provided using GSM technology with a speed of 9.6 kbps. This not only slows down data transfer but makes it an expensive proposition, even with users only paying for the a irtime (Rs. 4 per minute).

``What is required is the General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) technology, which has the potential of enabling data transmission at the rate of 140 kbps but is currently used at 40 to 50 kbps,'' said Mr. Paresh Vora, General Manager, Internet Gateways Sol utions, Silicon Automation Systems, Bangalore.

Content, which will be the driving force behind WAP, is yet another issue. ``There are a lot of operators providing the service, but content providers are lagging behind,'' Mr. Trivedi said.

While there are an estimated 600 WAP-enabled Web sites across the world, India has just a handful. Web sites are made WAP-compatible by using Wireless Markup Language (WML)-enabled content.

``Apart from the technological hiccups, there is also the fact that WAP will have limited appeal for people who may use it to check e-mail or get updates on news flashes and stock quotes at the most,'' Mr. Trivedi said.

Why then is there a mad rush to provide the service, with everyone from Orange, BPL, Tata Cellular, Bharti and Spice joining the race?

``It could be competitive pressure, fear of losing customers to competition,'' said Mr. Vikas Aggarwal, IT analyst, ICRA. ``Information flow has become important, accessibility and connectivity have currency value and this is definitely a

value-added service.''

Mr. K.V. Seshasayee, President, Cellular Operators Association of India, said: ``There will not be immediate revenues for operators, but it is a definite service enhancement that helps in building a larger consumer base. In fact, if WAP content is provid ed in local scripts such as Gujarati, Punjabi and Tamil, it would really take off.''

Mobile phone penetration, which is currently only 50 per cent, is estimated to increase to 90 per cent by 2001. ``Operators will use this service to induce increased use, which in turn will lead to lower airtime charge and a further increase in user base ,'' Mr. Vora said.

Mr. Aggarwal, however, said: ``There will not be a large market for WAP. It will be a niche market mostly consisting of the business community.''

Most analysts are looking at a market of 5-10 per cent, with only around 100 to 200 WAP users at present. The figure may be even smaller if users have to pay for the service, which is now being provided free for the first two months of its launch.

``WAP is being provided free of cost to fill up free airtime slots. Once it becomes popular, it may come as a bundled cost, like the rates you pay for an Internet connection,'' Mr. Aggarwal said.

Mr. Trivedi, however, said that for WAP to take off, it has to be provided free of cost because that is the whole idea behind the Internet.