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TOKYO, JAPAN August 2, 2001 --- NTT DoCoMo, Inc. today announced that a set of Internet technology specifications, which it jointly initiated with Ericsson, has been adopted as a standardized specification for WAP (Wireless Application Protocol) 2.0. According to an official announcement released on August 1, 2001 by WAP Forum1, a standardization body of WAP technology, the next-generation WAP, or WAP2.0, specification suite is based on Internet standard technology such as the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force)2 standard of TCP/IP and the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium)3 recommendation of XHTML. Centering on the concept of "Internet Convergence," the initial proposal submitted jointly by Ericsson and NTT DoCoMo in December 1999 contained a TCP/ IP-based protocol stack and an XHTML-based mark-up language. NTT DoCoMo has already adopted specifications equivalent to the ones for WAP2.0 for its i-mode service included in the introductory service of "FOMA," the company's third-generation (3G) wireless service. NTT DoCoMo will work to make its i-mode/FOMA service compatible with the newly fixed official WAP2.0 as soon as possible. 1 Wireless Application Protocol Forum (WAP Forum) (http://www.wapforum.org): The WAP Forum is the industry association that is responsible for developing the WAP Specifications, the open, global de facto standard that allows users of wireless hand-held devices to access and interact with Internet-based content, applications and services. The WAP Forum is comprised of the members representing 99 percent of the handsets sold worldwide and more than 450 million global subscribers. Members include worldwide device manufacturers, carriers, infrastructure providers, software developers and other wireless solution providers. 2 Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF) (http://www.ietf.org): The IETF is a large open international community of network designers, operators, vendors, and researchers concerned with the evolution of the Internet architecture and the smooth operation of the Internet. It is open to any interested individual. The actual technical work of the IETF is done in its working groups, which are organized by topic into several areas. Much of the work is handled via mailing list. The Internet standards-related documents are published as RFC (Request For Comments). 3 World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) (http://www.w3c.org): The W3C was created in October 1994 to lead the World Wide Web to its full potential by developing common protocols that promote its evolution and ensure its interoperability. W3C has more than 500 member organizations from around the world and has earned international recognition for its contributions to the growth of the Web. |
| WAP2.0 Footprint | |
| August 2001: | WAP2.0 specification suite released. |
| August 2000: | Roadmap of WAP Next Generation (WAP-NG) proposed; WAP-NG Principle of Operation approved. |
| February 2000: | Architecture and Protocol WGs established under WAP-NG framework. Groups for technical areas, such as applications and security, are established in response to NTT DoCoMo proposals. |
| December 1999: | NTT DoCoMo proposes WAP-NG concept jointly with Ericsson to initiate activity. |
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NTT DoCoMo's Involvement in mobile Internet NTT DoCoMo joined the WAP Forum in 1998 and its board of directors since later that year. In February 1999, NTT DoCoMo launched its "i-mode" mobile Internet access service. The service was an instant success and the number of subscriptions currently stands at over 25 million. |
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