Wireless Application
Protocol and i-Mode
By
Sridevi Madduri
Swetha Kucherlapati
Sharrmila Jeyachandran
Presentation Outline
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Motivation
Introduction to WAP
WAP Architecture
Introduction to i-Mode
i-Mode Architecture
WAP Versus i-Mode
Conclusion
Motivation
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The need to access the Internet Content with
handheld devices from anywhere
Characteristics of handheld devices:
- Weak CPU
- Limited memory
- Limited battery power
- Limited user I/O
Introduction to WAP
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Gateway to a new world of mobile data
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Universal standard which enables users to easily access
Web based interactive information services and
applications from the screens of their mobile phones
WAP Forum – Initial proposals came from Ericsson,
Nokia and Phone.com.
WAP can work over several wireless technologies
WAP stack can operate on various mobile devices with
different operating system.
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Introduction to WAP cont’d
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Client application is a micro-browser
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Uses Wireless Markup Language
Information is organized as decks and cards
XHTML Mobile Profile (XHTMLMB) replaces WML in
WAP 2.0
Commerce, finance , entertainment and messaging
applications are the most widely used services.
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WAP Architecture
WAP Architecture cont’d
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WAP Gateway provides the following functions:
- translate WAP protocols to web protocols
- encode WAP content into a compact for
radio transfer and decode compact
content transmitted over radio
- manage user profiles (client capabilities
and
user preferences)
WAP protocol architecture
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Wireless Application Environment (WAE) –
Application level services, tools and languages
for content handling
Wireless Session protocol (WSP) – connectionoriented and connectionless sessions
Wireless Transaction Protocol (WTP) – reliable
connection and transaction oriented services ,
flow control, retransmissions
Wireless Transport Layer Security (WTLS) –
privacy, integrity, authentication and end-to-end
security
Wireless Datagram Protocol (WDP) – common
interface to physical bearers
Introduction to i-Mode
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Japan’s leading cellular phone operator NTTDocoMo launched
i-Mode in 1999
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i-Mode is a packet-switched mobile phone service, which offers
continuous , always-on internet access
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i-Mode uses Personal Digital Cellular Packet (PDC-P) bearer
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Client application is a micro-browser
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i-Mode enabled websites use compact HTML (cHTML), a subset
of HTML4.0
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Simple entertainment represents more than 75% of the
traffic followed by email and news.
i-Mode Communication Model
i-Mode Architecture
i-Mode Protocol Architecture
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Transport Layer protocol (TLP) – Improved efficiency in
PDC-P network over TCP, no 3-way handshake
Application Layer Protocol (ALP) – supports both pull and
push style communication, direct communication between
mobile phone and i-Mode server
User Information Transfer Protocol (UITP) – sends
subscriber information from PDP-C network to i-Mode
server
Network Management Protocol (NWMP) – perform signaling
(start/end of communication)
WAP and i-Mode Features
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Open specification for
content handling in wireless
networks
Site based on WML
39% of world’s wireless
internet users
Usually used over circuit
switched connections
Services business-oriented,
work-oriented
Anyone can produce
contents, content menus
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Wireless internet service
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Sites based on cHTML
60% of world’s wireless
internet users
Usually used over packetswitched networks
Services user-oriented, funoriented
Anyone can produce
content , DoCoMo operates
content menus
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Conclusion
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WAP is an open specification developed by a consortium
i-Mode is a service developed by NTTDoCoMo
3G – services (FOMA) are currently provide for i-Mode
users
WAP 2.0 is a step toward integrating previous releases
of WAP and i-Mode.
Questions
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How Secure is WAP ?
WTLS protocol / client & WAP gateway
SSL / web server and WAP gateway
Security parameters to protect the session (like
encryption protocols, signature algorithms, public
keys)
Keys negotiated periodically
Client and Server authentication using certificates,
secure exchange of keys , encryption of data, digital
signing.
Questions cont’d
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Does i-mode support JAVA ?
‘i-appli’ : service that provides a integrated
platform for appl programs written in java for
i-mode capable phones.
KVM
Questions cont’d
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What security measures are implemented in
i-mode?
SSL/TLS protocol provides server
authentication and i-mode devices have
certificates pre-installed
Confidentiality and integrity of application
data is guaranteed
Client authentication via applications specific
means
Questions cont’d
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Are browsers like IE and Netscape supported
by i-mode? If not why? What is the remedy?
Micro-browsers
Low memory and bandwidth capacities
Can WAP and i-Mode Co-exist?
Yes
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