GPRS vs. WAP

[gunsandrosses]

T-mobile is offering unlimited GPRS service for $50/month, which is insane since they used to offer it for $20. They do have a plan for blackberries with minutes that doesn't seem too unreasonable, but it is WAP service. Is this worth getting? What is the difference? Thanks.
-Ross

[neilius]

GPRS is way way way better than WAP, faster too. With GPRS speeds are similar to a 56k modem, WAP is something like a 14.4k modem (I think it's 11k but I can't remember). With WAP you pay for the time you spend online, with GPRS you pay for the data you download and can use the phone whilst connected to GPRS. Get GPRS.

Regards,

Neil.

[OdeeanRDeathshead]

wap = whatever content they have on their network/server
gprs = anything on the internet.

be warned that some scumbag providers call wap gprs. I have been trapped like this about 12 months ago by vodafone. At the time their own network could not support billing full gprs so after some serious complaining over the service I got I ended up with a company called martin doors who was a partner with vodafone (vodafone do have it now though).

Here I pay 2.5c/kb. $50 usd is high but if I used it unlimited it would be way more.

[heliosfa]

Actually, WAP is the "highway" as it were, with GPRS and GSM being the actual types.

GPRS is pay per KB,
GSM is pay per minute.

[gunsandrosses]

If the two offers were unlimited gprs and unlimited wap, is their any other difference besides speed?

[OdeeanRDeathshead]

I did not know that wap was available via dial up. My only acces to it was through gprs. What I was getting at was the content. With vodafone AU the internet is only available through "full" gprs, ie you could not go to this site through the wap connection.

Anyway gprs/gsm is the same thing just put to different use.

[oltp]

In the Netherlands TMO offers gprs unlimited 'Internet Totaal' (includes wifi hotspot usage & meant for laptops etc) access for €50 per month & they offer 'Pocket Internet Totaal' for only €9.50 per month (unlimited gprs access & hotspot usage meant for pda's). So it's exactly the same thing even on the phone bill, only the pockey version includes a €40 discount. Guess which contract I'm having with about 200MB usage a month ;-)

Complain about it, refer to it. More European countries offer this scheme. Maybe it works.

Good luck, M

[Rudegar]

"Actually, WAP is the "highway" as it were, with GPRS and GSM being the actual types. "

no GPRS and GSM are the "highway" as in the connection type
over which HTML or WAP is transmittet

WAP is a sad subset of HTML and require ones operator to make links before one can access a wap page unlike normal internet