Interoperability from Phone.com

[February 1st 2000] Phone.com has announced that it will open a WAP Interoperability Testing Lab in Belfast, Ireland, in April 2000. This Interoperability Testing Lab is a purpose-built facility based in Phone.com's new premises in Belfast. The lab demonstrates Phone.com's commitment to the WAP community and to industry-wide WAP interoperability. Phone.com is offering the test facility to WAP product developers, vendors, and operators in an effort to reduce interoperability testing time. Companies can test various combinations of WAP gateways and microbrowsers using the field-proven interoperability test suites that were used in recent commercial WAP launches. Content Providers are invited to test applications on the various devices as well, ensuring simple and well-designed WAP services for the end-user.

"Phone.com's Interoperability Lab demonstrates our commitment to rapid rollout of interoperable WAP solutions. It will speed time-to-market for all vendors who want to ensure that they offer 100 per cent WAP compatible, stress-tested products in a complex, multi-vendor environment," states Chuck Parrish, executive vice president of Phone.com and vice chairman of the WAP Forum. "This is a major step forward for the wireless Internet industry."

Phone.com's Interoperability Lab has been conducting tests with major European handset manufacturers as well as WAP gateway manufacturers and has successfully proven that close cooperation between multiple vendors and their customers is a win-win for all involved.  In order to participate in the Interoperability Lab, Phone.com requires that the product manufacturer describe the desired device and gateway tests by completing an Interoperability Testing Form, available April 5, 2000 from Phone.com, and that the company book testing time at the lab in advance. Staff at the lab will be on hand to help with the testing procedures and facilities. Fees will be scaled to cover the testing time and materials used.

 Background

Phone.com's commitment to interoperability with other vendors spans its entire product line including the gateways, browsers and applications. Phone.com has already signed Memorandums of Understanding and does ongoing interoperability testing with major handset manufacturers. Phone.com's commitment to the WAP Forum and the WAP Standard has lead them to chair the Interoperability and Testing Executive Committee of the WAP Forum and to actively support the Working Interoperability Group.  Phone.com works closely with its carrier customers to ensure interoperability and is working to deliver authoring guidelines to ensure that developers can build applications that scale across multiple devices.  To deliver interoperability, the WAP Forum has defined and delivered a standard protocol that is scalable across a range of devices.  This standard, WAP 1.1, is intended to ensure interoperability.  To enable vendors to comply with WAP 1.1, the WAP Forum has contracted The Open Group, an independent certification authority, to deliver a certification test that will cover all parts of the wireless Internet solution, including gateways, browsers, and content by Q1 of 2000.  To aid in interoperability, many members of the WAP Forum have already signed Memorandums of Understanding, which state their desire to work together.  The WAP forum is also developing authoring guidelines to ensure that developers can build applications that scale across multiple devices.  With interoperability testing, certification and authoring guidelines, the WAP Forum will help to satisfy the interoperability demands of vendors, operators and developers.