Inspiration for the wireless revolution The big Geneva Telecom 99 exhibition will probably go down in history as the moment when Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) made its debut in the world. A slew of vendors launched their first WAP phones and carriers announced their first WAP services. And this time it's Europe that's the frontrunner. 'For once I'm not proud to be an American', said Larry Ellison, the CEO of softwaremaker Oracie, in a speech delivered at Telecom 99. Europe is at least 18 months ahead of the United States in deploying WAP. The Telecom 99 show could mark the beginning of a bright, very bright future for WAP. Analists predict that a significant part of Internet access will be via wireless devices within a few years. It's important not to get carried away. When the computer industry gets hold of a new concept like WAP it becomes the 'Next Big Thing'. Vendors pre-announce products and the mass media prints hype. When the revolution fails to materialize during the following months the hype will die soon. But this time it's different. The business case is overwhelming, the numbers are staggering, and it's the 'cash loaded' telecom industry that is delivering the key products.
