BT Cellnet Launches Nationwide WAP Access Using Brand

On 21st January 2000, BT Cellnet, the UK's most progressive GSM network for data and value-added services, launched the UK's first commercial WAP service, as part of its successful Genie internet service.

Their brief was simple; to be the first and best network operator when it came to data innovation and corporate solutions. Digifone had built an impressive corporate voice network (known as CPN), they wanted to extend GSM data to those same corporates, and to win many more new ones. So they turned to Apollo.

At the heart of this is the Apollo Access Server from Brand Communications Limited. It is the latest in a series of successful ventures for Brand and BT.

BT Cellnet has been using the Apollo platform for some time for resilient GSM data access to internet services, including the usual Apollo features of spoofing, call recovery, and compression. Apollo has been designed from the outset to be much more than just a router, by adding unique facilities to the basic bearer services of 9600bps GSM data, whilst being capable of handling the higher speeds and new bearers such as HSCSD and GPRS, with similar unique features. So it was no surprise when Brand announced support for WAP within the Apollo platform, and equally it was no surprise when BT Cellnet announced that they had selected Apollo to handle their WAP calls. Behind Apollo sits BT Cellnet's WAP gateways and content servers, with Apollo providing the fast and secure call termination and routing.

A single Apollo Access Server can answer and route 240 simultaneous GSM data V.110 calls, and multiple servers have been deployed within BT Cellnet. In effect, WAP is nothing more than a standard data call across the network, but it is only the horsepower of Apollo that can handle so many calls and perform the arduous V.110 call processing and routing with no loss of performance. In addition Brand has implemented an optimised authentication technique which is fully compatible with WAP phones, which means a faster connection for the user whilst maintaining network security. Tests by several networks have found that, when compared with standard routers, Apollo is up to 5 seconds faster in answering, V.110 training, authenticating and routing to the content servers. This is vital from a user satisfaction point of view and in terms of maximising network resources.

To satisfy the needs of operators and ASPs, Brand has incorporated enhanced features such as fast CLI for personalisation of content, and spoofed WAP session control for PC users.

"By the end of this year we expect to have 600,000 dial-in customers and approaching one million portal customers. Growth is exceeding 3,000 new customers each day," Genie General Manager Brian Greasley said at the launch.

Other GSM networks will shortly be announcing WAP, and Apollo will be playing a major part.