They are phrases that can make even hardened telecom executives wince. "Surf the web", or "the internet in your pocket", slogans which - through Wap (wireless application protocol) - promised to bring the mobile internet to the handsets of millions of eager users.
But Wap, as a practical and commercial reality, has so far been a flop - and customers whose expectations were raised by the marketing hype that surrounded it have mostly failed to use even the few services that do exist.
Now with the arrival of GPRS (General Packet Radio Service) and the gradual build-up of 3G networks, those marketing the new services are anxious not to make the same mistakes. This caution, combined with the fact that most telecom operators' marketing budgets are a fraction of what they were a couple of years ago, are two of the reasons for the rather subdued introduction of the new services.
Added to this is a large degree of uncertainty about which products to market - and to whom. In the darkest corners there are even fears that the market is simply not there.
Evidence from early adopter countries, such as Sweden, is hardly encouraging. Even though the country's main operators have had their GPRS nets up and running for over six months, only 2 per cent of mobile subscribers use GPRS services according to the research group Stelacom.
The fact that the number of GPRS-enabled handsets is growing rapidly does not mean usage will simply follow suit. Sven-Christer Nilsson, the former chief executive of Ericsson, the mobile telecom equipment maker, appears to be a classic example. He has a GPRS phone but hasn't bothered with a subscription to the services. "The reason is because I do not see the use of bandwidth per se," he says. "I would like to see my operator giving me a number of defined services where I don't have to do the addressing and surfing myself."
Jean-Marc Petera, Alcatel's president of applications services says it is not surprising that the new technologies are being greeted with a degree of scepticism, remembering that "people were saying forget about GSM, there's no need for it".
Right now, with GPRS "we are at the beginning of the curve", he explains - a curve that should lead customers seamlessly to 3G services.
Technically, GPRS is certainly a clear improvement on the older Wap services that were introduced in 1999. Struggling with clumsy handsets, circuit switch connections and slow response times, it was not surprising customers lost patience.
Customers' benefits are paramount
This time, however, equipment manufactures and operators have understood that selling a technology, no matter how far improved, is not the way forward. "It is about explaining the benefits to customers - there is very limited interest in the bearer technology," says Cynthia Gordon, marketing director for business solutions at Orange UK, which launched its GPRS services for business users in February.
She sees the "killer application" for corporate users as e-mail access, be it through 2.5G or 3G. Yet the key will be the ability to link this to the back-office services of a user, to provide the technical back-up and customer relations necessary to ensure products can be delivered through different technologies in various environments.
On the private customer side, David Taylor, Orange's commercial director for personal and small business users, speaks the same language, talking of benefits rather than acronyms. He also sees e-mail as important, but suggests that enhanced news services, greeting cards, chat rooms, and sports information will be play a key role. The ability to send photos and multimedia messaging will also drive traffic.
He emphasises that success will be about providing customers with an integrated package. "The entire user experience has to be compelling," he says.
But who will provide the content that will entice customers to use the GPRS net and how will the revenue be shared? Independent content providers have already complained that operators are too greedy, offering such a small percentage of revenue that there is no incentive to develop services.
On the other hand, the operators are fearful of becoming mere "pipes" through which others send their premium-rate products. Therefore, will an operator market its own set of services, or provide a gateway to a wider range of offerings?
Mr Taylor does not see the dichotomy of interests between operators and content providers. "Everyone has to benefit," he says.
Charlotte Stone, of PA Consulting, says operators are guilty, so far, of being "overly conservative" in the services they are trying to market. The key will be to constantly test new products. This may mean that services arise from quite unexpected sources "and the trick will be to experiment with new ideas, nurturing the winners and killing the losers".
