WAP Basics
This three-letter acronym stands for the late 90s protocol suite designed to bring basic internet text and data to resource-constrained early mobile phones.
WAP
The primary goal of moving cloud-computing capabilities from distant data centers to the literal edge of a mobile network is to drastically reduce this delay time.
latency
In the WAP stack, the acronym WSP stands for this layer, which provides the connection-oriented and connectionless services equivalent to HTTP/1.1.
Wireless Session Protocol
Because they require split-second reflex decisions to safely avoid pedestrians and other vehicles, these transport systems are a major driver for ultra-low latency 5G edge computing.
autonomous vehicles
Instead of HTML, early WAP browsers used this XML-based markup language to display content
WML
As edge computing expanded from just cellular networks to Wi-Fi and fixed lines, the industry body ETSI officially changed the "M" in MEC from "Mobile" to this word
Multi-access
Providing data integrity, privacy, and authentication, WTLS serves as the WAP equivalent to this standard web security protocol
TLS or SSL
Cloud gaming companies use edge computing to eliminate input lag so that this heavy task can be processed near the user, allowing high-end games to run smoothly on cheap phones.
graphics rendering
In WML, web pages are replaced by "Decks," and individual screen views or elements within those decks are known by this playing-card term
Cards
In an edge architecture, data processing is offloaded to these cellular structural nodes, bringing the compute power physically closer to smartphones and connected cars.
base stations
To achieve complete "bearer independence," the bottom of the WAP stack utilizes WDP, which stands for this protocol.
Wireless Datagram Protocol
Early mobile users relied heavily on WAP to check these three highly-simplified, text-only types of dynamic daily information
news, weather, and sports scores
Because mobile devices couldn't process standard web traffic directly, this intermediary component was required to sit between the wireless network and the internet to translate WAP requests into plain HTTP
WAP Gateway
By processing high-bandwidth data like security camera video feeds right at the edge, MEC saves companies massive amounts of money on this network resource.
bandwidth
While standard internet traffic relies on TCP to guarantee delivery, the WAP stack introduced this lightweight transaction-oriented layer to minimize handshaking over slow wireless links.
Wireless Transaction Protocol
This technology uses edge computing to overlay data-heavy 3D blueprints on a field-worker's headset in real-time without crashing the device's battery.
Augmented Reality
To make it fully functional on low-power devices, WAP completely swapped out standard JavaScript for this lightweight, optimized scripting language.
WMLScript
This network infrastructure paradigm uses virtualized software to manage network functions, serving as the foundational architectural layer that lets telcos deploy MEC applications effortlessly.
Telco Cloud (or NFV - Network Functions Virtualization)
The highest layer of the WAP stack, abbreviated as WAE, provides the environment that contains device specifications, micro-browsers, and text compilers.
Wireless Application Environment
This specific feature of WAP allowed mobile operators to send text alerts containing direct web links that would instantly prompt a phone's micro-browser to open.
WAP Push message