Movistar GPRS

As everybody knows, WAP is not the mobile killer protocol, nor will it ever be. However, it has its uses. I use it for example to consult my bank account when I’m on the road.

For Telefonica,- the Spanish phone monopolist, WAP also has its uses, since they offer Emoción; WAP-based services of which some bring in some money for every minute it is used.

The thing I never understood is that they sell packages with modern phones like my T200 with badly configured WAP access. If it doesn’t work directly, many people won’t try it again!

The case is that the phone comes preconfigured with WAP over GPRS, but to use GPRS you’ll have to buy a separate contract or pre-paid card, which nobody does. But Telefonica finally got smart. Saturday, when I was taking a beer on a sunny terrace I suddenly noticed a new icon on my phone’s screen; I had GPRS access!!!

Of course I immediately changed my WAP configuration and tried it out. I surfed around in WAP space a little, until I came to my own WML feed, which failed miserably. One more point on my todo list…

Jeroen Sangers @jeroensangers