Server-side Equipment

While the majority of users will find the details of the cell network itself irrelevant, many might be interested in what happens at the other end of a network. Some high-bandwidth technologies enable access to the regular Web, but many devices are designed for lower capacities or smaller screens. Anyone running a Website needs to decide whether and how to support these alternative access technologies.

Unfortunately, setting up a site using WAP or one of the other wireless Web standards is not just a matter of recoding your Web pages. Many cellular operators are keen to restrict customers to their own sites, and so make it very difficult for users to surf the wider Web. Many even block access to the Internet altogether, just like the old proprietary online services. An operator that does this is said to be closed.