While the wireless Internet craze has quickly spread throughout Europe and Asia, US consumers have been far less active in joining the frenzy. The reasons why are matters of lore in the American wireless development community.

First, there are issues with standards in networking coverage. The US markets conform to various standards. Phones must be able to operate on multiple networks, including CDMA, TDMA, CDPD, and GSM. This poses problems for manufacturers, because 'quad mode' phones are required for continuous connectivity from region to region -- even city to city.

There are also fewer WAP-enabled phones on the market. In fact, AT&T Wireless, one of the largest US carriers with over 12 million subscribers, has yet to make the service available. Add all the standards confusion, and it's no wonder that the phones have been so slow in rolling out.

Until now.

Several encouraging signs have appeared from AT&T Wireless, Mitsubishi, and Ericsson over the past several months, and it appears something is finally going to happen.

Mitsubishi announced last June that their MobileAccess T250 would be available through AT&T Wireless during fourth quarter 1999. At the same time, consumers expected to see Nokia's 7100 series hit the market with various wireless carriers. AT&T rolled the T250 out in a limited capacity, serving to test the market for their PocketNet service with government and business users as the target. As the months have passed in 2000, customers have been anxiously awaiting the move to new phones and technology.

After several inquiries, AnywhereYouGo.com has learned that AT&T will officially announce the availability of two WAP-enabled phones by the end of June -- the T250 as well as the Ericsson R280LX.

"Mitsubishi Wireless has been a great partner to work with in developing our next-generation Digital PCS PocketNet phone," Len Bargellini, senior product manager of AT&T, said last June. "As a result, there are many ergonomic and technical improvements that will be delivered in this product based on feedback that we have received from our customers."

"We are thrilled to see Ericsson enter the market with a phone for the AT&T PocketNet Service. The R280LX is a beautifully executed product for both consumers and business," said Kendra VanderMeulen, senior vice president of product development and strategy for AT&T Wireless, in November.

Consumers are sure to jump on the bandwagon within weeks of the official announcement, and wireless application developers can now revel in the increased exposure their applications will receive.

"With the amount of communication coming at executives today, it's important to have everything at your fingertips. It's also vital to be able to transfer and access this information at a moment's notice. I'm optimistic about the wireless Internet opportunities because it will give me the competitive advantage I need to stay on top of my critical business needs," said Stephen Davis, Vice President of MWW/Savitt, a strategic communications firm in Seattle, WA.

What does this mean for handset manufacturers?

Speculation surrounding WAP-enabled phones in the US market have centered around Nokia's 7100 series for several months. Wireless-related publications have continued to ask questions about why the phones still have not been released, but Nokia has not provided a detailed explanation or firm release dates for the phones.

Based on a tip from an AnywhereYouGo.com community member, we originally set out to verify a rumor that AT&T Wireless cancelled a 250,000 handset order for WAP-enabled handsets from Nokia. Apparently, the carrier decided to follow another route in order to reach consumers more quickly.

AT&T Wireless currently offers four Nokia handsets and one handset from Mitsubishi, Ericsson, and Motorola. The scales will tip another direction with the introduction of additional Mitsubishi and Ericsson handsets.

The longer that Nokia phones remain off-the-market, the smaller Nokia's early-adopter market will become. Though Nokia is the most popular handset manufacturer in the world, this change in the US market could mean a financial impact on the giant. Currently, Nokia phones in the US are widely regarded as the top choice for a wireless handset.

It would appear that Nokia will remain the handset for AT&T's baseline customers, while Mitsubishi and Ericsson will reap the benefits of Nokia's WAP-enabled handset troubles.

What does this mean for developers?

Wireless application developers now have a few weeks to prepare for the introduction of the new handsets to the US AT&T Wireless consumer base. Both phones use Phone.com's 3.1 browser. This means developers can now focus on using the 3.1 standards, which are fully compliant with WML 1.1 specifications.

"I would warn against the extended use of proprietary, non-standard WAP extensions, while they certainly can have benefits in the short term," said Victor Brilon, AnywhereYouGo.com technology strategist. "They can alienate segments of the market that won't be able to view your content if they're not using Phone.com browsers, such as large portions of the European market."