Browse the Net without a WAP phone

new delhi: for the first time in the country, leading mobile service provider bharti will offer new phone connections which will have an internet browser installed in the sim (subscriber identification module) card itself. with the wireless internet browser (wib)—the key software that allows internet access—installed in the sim card, a subscriber can browse the net or do an e-commerce transaction with a non-wap enabled phone.traditionally, the internet browser has resided in the handset. however, with the wib in the sim card of the mobile phone, net access using a cellphone would be device independent. this will open enormous mobile commerce opportunities like ticketing and e-shopping to millions of subscribers who do not own the expensive wap handsets. “we are planning to use this new technology shortly. this would help us to reach out to our entire base of mobile handsets with a host of value-added services, which, in turn, will bring in more revenues for the company,� says sarvjit singh dhillon, ceo of airtel delhi. finland-based smarttrust which introduced the sim toolkit, that goes into the sim card, claims over 25 million subscribers are using sim cards with the internet browser installed in it. “the new sim cards are expected to be introduced by bharti in a couple of weeks. this will help them to offer net-based services to all subscribers and not just the small percentage of those with wap-enabled handsets,� says sharad arora, technical manager at smarttrust india. phones using the new sim cards can access wml content, similar to wap phones, like information services, chat, banking, games and location-based services. with digital signature becoming a reality, subscribers can use their cellphones as a personal authentication device for the digital signing of m-commerce transactions. though the new sim cards will mean a slightly higher cost for the operator, fresh revenues from m-commerce and net access are expected to help them offset it. “whether the operator will absorb the cost or pass it on to the subscriber will depend on their business plan. but the new revenue opportunities that these sim cards will open are worth implementing it,� says arora. dhillon concurs that the revenue potential the new technology offers is substantial. smarttrust says the wib will also be compatible with gprs and 3g phones and services. with most operators planning to introduce gprs in the near future, which means an always-on internet access for a fixed fee, the widening of the subscriber base for value-added services would be a key ingredient for the success of these services. according to smarttrust, most sim card suppliers now use the smarttrust wib. some of them have the wib installed in the rom, ensuring that space on the sim is kept free.