What is WAP Gateway?
Introduction to WAP Gateway
WAP Gateway is a piece of software that typically sit on a telecoms carriers
network and perform the specific function of translating plain
text WML in binary WML and binary HTTP requests into plain text HTTP
Requests.
Looking at it from the WAP device's
side, since a WAP device can only understand WML in its tokenized/compiled/binary format, the
function of the WAP gateway is to convert content into this format. Looking at it from the HTTP
server's side, the WAP gateway can provide additional information about the WAP device
through the HTTP headers, for instance the subscriber number of a WAP capable cellular phone,
its cell id and even things like location information.
WAP Gateway was the key element of any internet system connected
to the wireless network. It ensured the connection and conversion of
information between WAP devices and the web server. WAP Gateways were required for this conversion as cellphones were not powerful enough to render and process web-pages built for desktop browsers. However recently with the advent of powerful
cell phones and smart-phones having big screens, fast processors and lots of memory, the Mobile devices, without any sort of limitation, can directly serve the web-pages and content in same form as a desktop browser so WAP gateways are quickly losing importance in carrier networks.
Most newer cell phones don't even require a carrier network for accessing www as they can directly hookup to a home or office WLAN for connecting to the internet.
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