He is the father of WAP, the technical rules for getting the Internet onto cell phones. Since no one else had figured out how to do it, WAP became the industry standard
Helping the Net Shed Its Wires
By Chris Taylor

There will be at least a billion cell phones in use by 2003. That's just something café patrons and commuters are going to have to deal with. But thanks to Alain Rossmann, not every stranger will treat you to half his conversation at an unseasonable volume. He will be too busy using his mobile to trade stocks or download MP3s or play chess with his buddies.

Rossmann is the guy behind WAP, or wireless application protocol. Like packet switching or HTML, it doesn't sound like much, but it's vitally important to the future of the Internet. WAP lays out the rules for squeezing the best of the Net onto that Nokia (or Ericsson, or Motorola) in your pocket.

Rossmann left his native Paris, picked up an M.B.A. at Stanford, worked on the original Apple Macintosh, started three companies and sold one to AT&T before even thinking about WAP.

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Name: Alain Rossmann
Age: 43
Why critics are taking note: His wireless application protocol (WAP) has become the industry standard for getting the Internet onto cell phones
phone.com

WAP Info Center

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Photos: Miguel de Icaza by RICHARD SCHULTZ FOR TIME,
Rob Malda by JONATHAN SAUNDERS FOR TIME,
Joseph Park by CATRINA GENOVESE FOR TIME,
Alain Rossmann by DAVID STRICK FOR TIME,
Steve Stanford by GLEN WEXLER FOR TIME,
Sherry Turkle by AARON GOODMAN FOR TIME
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