Developed for Orange, the UK's most advanced digital mobile phone network, as a demonstration of their forthcoming media and commerce services, the application allows visitors to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival to access the complete show guide via a Orange WAP-compatible GSM handset. Users can search the 1300 shows by date, time, genre and keyword search. The system also allows a voice call to be placed to the relevant show ticket office automatically. Information can also be retrieved on the facilities at each of the 200 venues, including information on accessibility for the disabled.
Between August 8th and August 31st 1999, 30 Orange representatives using Nokia 7110 handsets were made available in Edinburgh as an information source for visitors.
As well as developing the application, WDS provide the hosting services for the WAP content and the database of show information.
Hugh Roper, Managing Director of WDS commented: 'This is an important development in the mobile data industry, as it's one of the first in the UK to prove the technology in a realworld application. Only when you see this type of service in use do you realise the full potential of having vast amounts of information available directly from the handset."
Richard Brennan, UK commercial director, Orange, said: "Orange is very excited about this new technology, as it gives a means to provide a wide range of lifestyle related information in a simple easy to understand manner to our customers. Our ability to search and find shows out of the huge database for the visitors to Edinburgh Fringe using the Orange Nokia 7110 is an excellent demonstrator of the power and usability of WAP technology. He continued: "We contracted WDS to design and write the Fringe services and were very pleased with the care and precision that was put into the final result with minimal involvement from our own staff."
The Orange WAP service is the first of what the industry expects to be a new range of media and commerce services. Information content providers have welcomed the advent of WAP as an exciting new avenue for disseminating user-based information. Network Operators have eagerly adopted WAP as an opportunity to provide subscribers with value-added services - generating revenue in some instances, but usually aimed at fostering customer loyalty.