Using Wireless Services

A wide range of Roundpoint titles are now available for your mobile phone or wireless PDA. These use a WAP browser to surf 'mini-websites', such as the portals provided by phone operators. In order to use any of these services you will need to have your phone set up to use WAP via GSM or GPRS - most phones are now sold already set up like this, but if you are in any doubt, check with your phone service provider.

The Mobile section of this website is one of these 'mini-sites'. If you browse it on your PC, you will see that the pages are much simpler, so that they can be read on the small screens used on phones.

Terms used

WAP

Wireless Access Protocol. The standard for mobile web access.

GSM

Global System for Mobile communications. If you access the mobile Internet using a GSM connection, you will be charged per minute, like on a dialup connection on your PC.

GPRS

General Packet Radio Service. An alternative to GSM; instead of being charged per minute, you will be charged per kilobyte of data. Since most mobile phones don't let you save web pages for later reading, GPRS is often a cheaper option for reading text-heavy pages such as newspapers (though you should check your tariff, as operators' charges for GPRS can vary quite a lot depending how much you use it).

Finding wireless sites

Using a wireless service is as simple as starting the WAP browser on your phone (you can usually find in the section called 'Services' or 'Internet') and typing in the address of the site. Short versions of our WAP site addresses can be found via the service selections page; you may also find links to our services on your phone operator's portal.

Your WAP browser will usually have a menu option called 'Go to address' or something similar, or you may have to create a bookmark.

To check whether you can access Roundpoint's mobile news services, try the appropriate URL from your phone or PDA:

• wireless PDA or smartphone - www.roundpoint.com/mobile/

• WAP-enabled phone - www.roundpoint.com:8080/mobile/

Paid subscriptions

Depending on the service in question and your location, you may be offered one or both of the following ways to pay:

1. Direct on your phone (UK only)

2. Via the web

Direct payment on your phone

We currently have agreements with some of the UK phone operators which allow us to take small payments (from 50p to £5) via your phone, either added to your bill or using premium-rate SMS. These are generally used for one-off payments such as quizzes, or short-term access to newspapers and magazines.

Paying via the web

Titles which have both a PDA and a wireless version give you the option to take out a monthly rolling subscription and access it on either kind of device. In this case, you will receive a user ID and password when you sign up, and you can use this on your WAP browser to gain access to paid content.

Help for wireless users

More information about connecting to the WAP network and using your subscription can be found in our Mobile Help section.