There is no doubt that the Internet is changing our lives in ways that could never have been predicted even a few years ago. However for most of us access is only possible via our computers, restricting us to our desktops. Cybercafés and Kiosks have helped to make the Net more accessible when we're out and about, but these lack the personal element that our own systems allow.

Enter the Mobile Internet - the convergence of two of the highest growth industries; Cellular and Internet services. Mobile phones are becoming increasingly sophisticated and consumers are now using their phones for services other than just voice calls, primarily text messaging which has undergone a phenomenal growth. From the 6.3 million messages sent in January 1999, Orange has reported over 213 million messages sent via their network in November 2000, less than two years on.

The current technology for accessing the Internet via a Mobile Phone is WAP (Wireless Application Protocol). The story so far however has not exactly been a bed of roses. Users have been frustrated by the slow connection speeds, mobile phone tariffs of 10 pence per minute and the basic nature in which the information is presented. Perhaps the advertising media are largely to blame by over hyping the product to the extent that the actual experience in no way matches the user's expectations. For instance BT Cellnet's Silver Surfer advertisement featured a 3D rendered surfer riding a wave through a hi-tech multimedia vista - not exactly a true representation of the four to eight lines of monochromatic text that can be displayed on a typical WAP phone!

However to dismiss the entire system out of hand would be a fatal mistake. Okay, so WAP might not provide the multimedia experience we were all hoping for, but it still enables users to view the latest news headlines and sports results, keep an eye on the stock market and check their bank balances, all while on the move. Plus there are plenty of improvements on the cards: BT Cellnet has already been carrying out trials of a nation-wide GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) system, which will offer a constant connection to the Internet at significantly higher speeds than current GSM system can provide. A similar system 'i-Mode', already in place in Japan, shows the effect that a GPRS system could have in the UK. The i-Mode system attracted over a million subscribers in its first month, and reached 14 million by November 2000. This is projected to reach 60 million by 2002. The major UK mobile telecoms providers (BT Cellnet, One 2 One, Orange, Vodaphone & TIW) have paid £22.5 billion for the licenses required to run these so called 3G (Third Generation) services, making it clear that they see the next generation of phones taking off in a huge way, all heading towards UMTS (The Universal Mobile Telephone System). Take a look at some recent statistics:

	Even now there are more mobile devices than PCs.
	Mobile Internet users will increase from 2 million in 2001 to 23 million by 2003 (source: Forrester Research).
	80% of the UK's population will own and regularly use an Internet-enabled phone by 2005 (source: IDC)
	The number of WAP phones in use in Western Europe at the start of 2001 was around 7 million. This is set to rise to around 50 million by 2004 (source: IDC).

Apache's WAP Services: