What is the difference between i-mode and WAP?
In one sense, i-mode and WAP-based services are in competition in Japan, and could be competing worldwide in the future. Both are complex systems, and it is really only possible to compare their present implementations as well as their business models, pricing, marketing, etc. There are several important differences in the way i-mode and WAP-based services are presently implemented, marketed and priced. For instance, i-mode uses cHTML, which is a subset of HTML and is relatively easier to learn for website developers than WAP’s markup language, WML. Another difference is that at present in Japan, i-mode is implemented with a packet switched system, which is in principle “always on”, while WAP systems in Europe are circuit-switched, i.e. dial-up. Besides, at present an i-mode user is charged for the amount of information downloaded plus various premium service charges (if used). WAP services, on the other hand, are charged on the basis of connection time. Packet switching or circuit swi
