Context-aware telephony over WAP

In this paper we introduce a novel approach to sharing context in order to enhance the social quality of remote mobile communication. We provide an analysis of how people start a conversation in situations where they meet physically, especially looking at the influence of the situation. This is then compared to the way remote communication is initiated using mobile phones. The lack of knowledge about the situation at the other end leads to the initiation of calls which are not appropriate to that situation. The solution we propose is to exchange context information before initiating the call. We implemented this concept using the Wireless Application Protocol (WAP). The application Context-Call offers a phone interface that provides information about the receiver when setting up a call. Based on that information, the caller can then decide to place the call, to leave a message or to cancel the call. Privacy issues that arise from this technology are discussed also.