The W3C Mobile Web Initiative (MWI)

Overview

• Motivation
• "Mobile Web Initiative" structure
• Conclusion

Mobile Web: My First Encounter

Reading W3C homepage in Tokyo subway, February 2000

Why Mobile Web Access is Useful

• Future: M-Commerce, Mobile Enterprise, Location-Based services ... maybe
• Today: Strong anecdotal evidence
  • Teleconference from Osaka backstreet
  • Pub argument in UK
  • Decipher menus in Barcelona
  • ...

Why Mobile Web Access is Possible

Source: RusselBeattie.com

Some Statistics

Source: T-Mobile, modeled on Credit Suisse First Boston, Mobile Data 2004, Pyramid Research, Global Mobile Capex Handbook, August 2004

Internet-Enabled Mobile Phone Penetration

Source: A.T. Kearny/University of Cambridge - Judge Institute of Management, July 2004

Why Mobile Web Access is Hard

• While commuting to work, user sees a URL on a bill-board
• "Hey -- I've just bought a snazzy new phone with access to 'the Web,' right? I'll give it a try!"
• Works for 15 minutes to figure out how to enter a URL into their phone's browser
• Seems to load something, but logos and images are so huge that it's impossible to make sense of the user interface on the small phone screen
• 'Wait -- I'll try my mobile phone provider's web site -- I'm sure theirs will work!'
• Same result.
• Tries to log in to favorite web mail system.
• "Sorry, your browser doesn't support cookies!"
• Throws phone out train window.

W3C's Mobile Web Initiative

• Web was key to create demand for Internet for desktop PCs
• Has potential to play similar role for mobile Internet
• Color screens and faster networks solve some issues of earlier attempts
• Need to solve interoperability and usability issues for
  • End users
  • Content providers

Standards are Essential for Mobile Web Success

• Mobile Web access needs needs global standards
• Users and content providers need to be able to rely on them in similar way as GSM

Concerted Community Effort Required

• Authoring tool vendors: produce standard-conformant content
• Content providers: follow best practices for user-friendly Web experience
• Handset manufacturers: provide correct device information
• Browser vendors: correctly implement Web standards
• Mobile phone operators: encourage use of content standards

Mobile Web Access Has Significant Potential for Mobile Data

• Voice-based use of mobile networks reaching saturation point
• Continued growth from data traffic (mobile messaging, imaging, gaming, music download)
• Web primary "data" user interface on "fixed-line" networks
• Successful mobile Web access has similar potential as phone service

W3C Can Help Enabling the Mobile Web

• Has mobile experience since 1997
  • XHTML
  • MMS content types (SMIL, SVG)
  • Device Independence (CC/PP, UAProf)
  • Multimodal Interaction
• Mobile becoming Web first class citizen
• "One Web" approach
• Leading consensus-building organization of the Web
• Experience in "breaking up silos"

Managing Liaisons

• OMA
  • Plannning workshop co-located with OMA meeting
  • Invited OMA presentation
    • Work split: OMA providing requirements for W3C specifications
    • OMA "not considering certification of Web content"
  • Existing liaisons: CDF, CSS, HTML, Multimodal Interaction, SMIL, SVG
  • Organizations signed MoU for collaboration
• 3GPP
  • Ongoing collaboration on SMIL and SVG
  • Both adopted by 3GPP for MMS

Mobile Web Best Practices WG: Goals

• Help content providers to develop web content that works well on mobile devices
• Planned
  • Authoring guidelines
  • Checklists
  • Best Practices
• "MobileOK" trust-mark
  • For test tools applied to mobile web content
  • Check adherence to guidelines
  • Similar to marks for WAI, HTML, CSS (but stricter)

Mobile Web Best Practices WG: Status

• End of June: First f2f meeting (Vodafone, London)
• Aug: Published "Scope of Mobile Web Best Practices"
• First WD of "Best Practices" Soon
• Plan: Winter 2005/2006: First best practice document finalized

"Best Practices" WG Members: 23

• Afilias Limited
• America Online, Inc. (AOL)
• Argo Interactive Ltd
• AT&T
• Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI)
• elmundo.es
• ERICSSON
• France Telecom
• Fundación ONCE
• Google, Inc.
• International Webmasters Association / HTML Writers Guild (IWA-HWG)
• Internet Content Rating Association
• mTLD Top Level Domain Limited
• Nokia
• NTT DoCoMo
• Openwave Systems Inc.
• Opera Software
• Segala M Test
• T-Online International AG
• The Boeing Company
• University of Helsinki
• Vodafone
• Volantis Systems Ltd

MWI Device Description WG: Goals

• Development of improved device description solutions
• Shared database of device description provided by handset manufacturers and others
• Used by content authors for content adaptation

MWI Device Description WG: Status

• End of June: First f2f meeting (Vodafone, London)
• Early Aug: Launched public Device Description Technologies Survey
• Planned for Fall
  • Public Working Draft of W3C Note ("Survey of existing technology and conceptual architecture")
  • Public Working Draft of W3C Note ("Business Model, Maintenance and Use")

Mobile Web Initiative Steering Council

• MWI maintained through financial support by sponsors
• Leadership through seat on MWI Steering Council
  • Develop MWI-supported Activity proposals
  • Receive report on MWI progress
  • Prioritize future work items
  • Advice on marketing and oureach activities
  • Manage liaisons

Sponsor Participation in Marketing and Outreach

• Press release on joining
• Testimonials
• MWI member logo
• MWI seminars
• MWI talks
• MWI publications
• MWI tradeshow appearances

MWI Sponsors: 19

• Full Sponsors
  • Ericsson (Founding Sponsor)
  • France Telecom (Founding Sponsor)
  • HP (Founding Sponsor)
  • mTLD Top Level Domain Limited
  • Nokia (Founding Sponsor)
  • NTT DoCoMo (Founding Sponsor)
  • TIM Italia (Founding Sponsor)
  • Vodafone Group Services Limited (Founding Sponsor)
• Affiliate Sponsors
  • Afilias (Founding Sponsor)
  • Argo Group
  • Bango.net (Founding Sponsor)
  • Drutt Corporation (Founding Sponsor)
  • Jataayu Software (Founding Sponsor)
  • Mobileaware, Ltd. (Founding Sponsor)
  • Opera Software (Founding Sponsor)
  • RuleSpace, LLC (Founding Sponsor)
  • Segala M Test (Founding Sponsor)
  • Sevenval AG (Founding Sponsor)
  • Volantis Systems Ltd (Founding Sponsor)

It's 1996 All Over Again ...

... But Not Quite 1996