N-GEN Communications Web-based Seminars ©NGCS

Seminar - An Overview of Communications Technologies

Module 6 - Internet, Intranet, Extranet, e-Commerce and Web Services                                      Slide 29 of 70 _________________                                                                                  __________

                                              Wireless Internet

                                         What is Wireless Internet?

                                         How does Wireless Internet Work?

                                         Wireless Internet Components

                                         Limitations

_________________                                                                                  __________

The digital wireless phones and Personal Digital Assistants are the new generation of devices that allow users to access the Wireless Internet. The Wireless Internet is different than the conventional Internet and has its limitations. The limitations are due to the wireless network transmission capability and the size of the wireless device's display. Most cell phones and web-enabled PDAs have data transfer rates of 14.4 K bps or less, which is not adequate to transfer web sites loaded with graphics. The second problem is the display size which is 150X150 pixels. Most web pages are designed for displays with 640X480 pixels. What it all means is that content formatting need to be changed to accommodate cell phones.

What is a Wireless Internet? - It is an Internet service provided on the wireless networks for cell-phone and PDA users.

How does the Wireless Internet Work? - A User's wireless phone or a PDA is web-enabled which means a mini-browser and Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is installed in their device. WAP uses Wireless Markup Language (WML).
The following steps occur:
        - Turn the device on and open the minibrowser
        - The device sends out a radio signal, searching for service
        - A connection is made with the service provider
        - Select a web site from the service provider
        - A Request is sent to the gateway server using WAP
        - The gateway server retrieves information from the web site
        - The gateway server encodes the data as WML
        - The WML-coded data is sent to the users device to fit the display

Wireless Internet Components - The main components are User's digital device e/w minibrowser, WAP, digital cellular or Personal Communications Services (PCS) networks, and WAP equipped web-sites. A web site creates special text-only or low-graphics versions of the site.

Once the information is received by the WAP client, it is passed to the minibrowser. The minibrowser is the interface between the user and the wireless Internet.