One Web for anyone, anywhere, anytime, using any device

W3C Mobile Web Initiative in G78- Hall 2

The rich Web environment is one that users now expect to access from mobile devices as well as the desktop. Yet interoperability and usability problems persist, and mobile Web access still suffers as a result.

With the support of international mobile industry leaders, W3C launched the Mobile Web Initiative in May 2005, with the aim to use existing standards in documentable ways to improve the mobile experience on the Web.

W3C urges all attendees of 3GSM World Congress to visit the W3C booth at 3GSM06, located in Hall 2, stand G78, to learn more about the latest mobile Web advances from W3C.

Mobile Industry Leaders Agree on Best Practices for Mobile Web Content

Key players in the mobile industry have reached a preliminary agreement on best practices for mobile Web content, an important step in W3C's project to make Web access from a mobile device as simple, easy, and convenient as Web access from a desktop device. Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0 sets out a series of recommendations designed to promote more effective delivery of Web content to mobile devices.

Authors and other content producers will value the shared experience of how to create content that makes browsing convenient on mobile devices and to avoid known pitfalls on those devices (such as pop-ups and page-scrolling).

The Mobile Web Best Practices 1.0 is a draft document, and the Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group invites the broader community to review it.

Mobile Web Initiative Work

The Mobile Web Initiative (MWI) is one of the twenty-four W3C Activities. MWI is composed of two Working Groups:

1. The Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group (MWBP WG) is chartered to develop authoring guidelines, checklists and best practices to help content providers to develop Web content that works well on mobile devices.

2. The MWI Device Description Working Group (MWIDD WG) is chartered to address the development of improved device description solutions, that is, a database of descriptions that can be used by content authors to adapt their content to a particular device. The group conducted a well received survey on existing technology to that effect.

Cooperation brings benefits to all mobile industry players

The Mobile Web Initiative is led by key players in the mobile production chain, including authoring tool vendors, content providers, adaptation providers, handset manufacturers, browser vendors and mobile operators. There are nineteen MWI Sponsors:

W3C staff available for questions on stand G78 - Hall 2

W3C staff and MWI Sponsors representatives will be available for questions at the W3C-MWI stand. W3C staff include:

• Marie-Claire Forgue, Head od W3C European Communications
• Philipp Hoschka, W3C Deputy Director and Mobile Web Initiative leader
• Dominique Hazaël-Massieux, W3C staff contact for the W3C MWI Best Practices Working Group
• Cédric Kiss, W3C staff contact for the W3C Device Independence Working Group

Press Room

Press should contact Marie-Claire Forgue at mcf@w3.org (cell: +33 6 76 86 33 41) for any questions and to schedule an appointment with the W3C staff cited above during the 3GSM'06 exhibition days.

About W3C's Mobile Web Initiative

The mission of W3C's Mobile Web Initiative (W3C MWI) is to make Web access from a mobile device as simple, easy, and convenient as Web access from a desktop device. Through the MWI Sponsorship Program, key players in the mobile production chain, including authoring tool vendors, content providers, handset manufacturers, adaptation providers, browser vendors and mobile operators lead the Initiative. MWI participants develop authoring guidelines, checklists and best practices, as well as a database of descriptions that can be used by content authors to adapt their content to a particular device. For more information see http://www.w3.org/Mobile/