Abstract
According to industry analysts, the number of Internet users would exceed the 350 million mark by the turn of the millennium. These users access the Internet primarily through wireline channels from PCs. Estimates indicate that the number of mobile phone users using voice service is over 300 million subscribers. Mobile phone users and industry alike feel the need for enhanced data services like web browsing and e-mail offered by Internet to the wireline user community. In 1997, Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia and Unwired Planet (now Phone.com) founded the WAP Forum to design a common wireless protocol specification for offering advanced data services. The key goal of WAP Forum was to create an open protocol specification for bringing the Internet content to wireless phones and terminals. Today, a large number of wireless device manufacturers and mobile network operators are using the WAP specifications to enhance their product lines and services. The network operators are effectively using WAP to increase their revenues and customer base, at the same time offering a significant value addition to their subscribers. Wireless Application Protocol (WAP) is an open license-free specification defined by an industry group called WAP Forum (http://www.wapforum.org). WAP Forum has members representing different sections of wireless and Internet industry like handset vendors, network operators, infrastructure providers, software developers, Internet content developers and service providers. Article further discusses features, Architecture, Wireless Datagram Protocol (WDP), Wireless Transaction Layer Security (WTLS), Market Potential of the WAP.

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