WAP will be the winner in the race to develop new mobile applications and content platforms

I was visiting at the 3GSM World Congress show in Barcelona to try to understand the new trends in the mobile industry. My main impression from this event is that most companies that provide technology and content or just technology still developing client based content applications for rich media, especially for 3G and 2.5G mobile phone handsets. Those applications are based on Java, Brew or Symbian standards.

It seems to me that the Benefits of WAP based mobile sites technology are understated right now, but I believe not for too long. When the internet mobile will reach more users worldwide the WAP will be the winning developing standard to build new cool applications in a simple and fast way with a lower cost, compare to developing processes that are using other standards.

My thinking regarding the need of the mobile industry to develop new applications and services in short period of time like in the internet industry was supported by Arun Sarin, chief executive of Vodafone. In his keynote speech before the 3GSM delegates he urged the telecoms industry to adopt the speed of the internet companies, pointing out that it took YouTube just 18 months to reach 20 million users, while it had taken the mobile industry a decade to do the same. "Adjacent industries are moving into this industry. It's time for us to stop talking and deliver. As an industry, it takes a long time to get things done. We need to move faster or others will eat our lunch."