WAP Service : mobile version of ghanaweb

Get the best of Ghanaweb News and Ghanaweb Sports direct to your mobile! This and much more, updated 24 hours a day, 7 day a week on ghanaweb.com

All you need to do to get Ghanaweb.com mobile on your WAP phone is bookmark http://www.ghanaweb.com/wap

What's on the WAP Service?

• Breaking news, such as live scores
• Latest news from Ghana
• All the sports news
• Foreign Exchange rates
• Access to classifieds

FAQ

What is WAP?
WAP, is short for Wireless Application Protocol? So what does that mean! Well, basically it is a method of letting a wireless device, usually a mobile phone, to view Internet pages, using text only, and very simple black and white pictures. Naturally, it isn't quite as simple as that, the web site has to be specially designed for the WAP phone, and the pages have to be fairly small as the data speed on mobile phones is a lot slower than a domestic modem. Also, all the phones will have different shape and size screens, so pages will look different depending on the phone your are using.

Which phone do I need?
You need a WAP-compatible mobile which supports wml version 1.1 and higher. Most recent models support WAP. Alternatively you may us other types of wireless devices such as PDA's (Palm!) which can also be equipped with a WAP-browser.

How much does it cost?
The GhanaWeb wap service itself is free. You need however a WAP-gateway to connect to the wireless Internet. A WAP-gateway is the equivalent of an ISP. In many cases you just pay the costs of making a telephone call through the dial-in number of the WAP-gateway.

Where can I find a WAP gateway?
Chances are your mobile operator also offers a WAP gateway. You can also look for alternative gateways in your country.

What types of networks support WAP?
One of the great things about WAP is that it is very easy to use it on almost any wireless format. Currently WAP is being used by both GSM, CDMA and TDMA cellular phone networks. Most people talk about WAP as a GSM standard, but that is only due to the high usage of WAP by the GSM networks. Naturally, the mobile phone network has to enable WAP on their service, but a lot of them are doing so. WAP can also be ported to other wireless formats, notably DECT, the format for European domestic cordless phones, which is being used in a lot of offices, and also the new TETRA format, which is a digital version of the radios carried around by security staff and haulage personnel. TETRA is another European standard, but it has been adopted or approved for use in a lot of other parts of the world, including the USA.