"Mobile access to the web has been a second class experience for far too long," explained Sir Tim Berners-Lee, director of the W3C, the international standards-setting body for the internet, and the man credited with inventing the World Wide Web.
"MWI recognizes the mobile device as a first class participant, and will produce materials to help developers make the mobile web experience worthwhile," he added.
While many existing mobile devices already feature web browsers, browsing the web from a mobile device has proved to be a more difficult experience than from a desktop. Mobile web users often find that their favourite web sites are not as accessible or not as easy to use, while content providers have difficulties building web sites that work well on all types and configurations of mobile phones offering web access.
The MWI hopes to counter this in two ways: by setting guidelines, checklists and best practices for content providers; and by developing improved device description solutions for content authors, allowing them to more easily adapt their content to a particular device.
Two groups, the Mobile Web Best Practices Working Group and the Device Description Working Group, have been set up under the MWI to take the matter forward.
France Telecom, HP, MobileAware, Segala M Test, Vodafone, and Volantis have already agreed to be Founding Sponsors of the Initiative.