On the feasibility of the usage of WAP devices in telemedicine

Telemedicine applications using cellular phones and the Internet have already been demonstrated. A recognizable trend in telecommunication is the convergence of cellular phone and computer network technologies. A WAP (wireless application protocol) phone is capable of not only voice and data transmission, but also wireless Internet connectivity. The paper discusses the methods and feasibility of several WAP-based telemedicine applications. A system consisting of a WAP device and a WAP server has been developed in our laboratory. It has been tested with emulation software before tests with an actual WAP phone. The future prospect of WAP devices in telemedicine is discussed.