Vodafone Launches App Store

Vodafone (News - Alert) is launching its own mobile application store, and will give developers 70 percent of retail revenues. But the initiative also is part of a wider move by a group of mobile providers to create more intellectual property of their own, without relying on other large third party or device manufacturers.

Vodafone is joining Apple (News - Alert), Nokia Corp., Research in Motion, Palm, Google and Microsoft in that respect, as all have launched an application store, or plan to.

Vodafone's software developer kit is expected this summer, with a launch of the app store by the end of 2009.

Applications developed on its software will be usable across all phones on its network, a feature that Vodafone believes distinguishes its proposition from the large number of rivals in the mobile app space, where each application has to be written separately for phones that use different operating systems.

Developers will be able to reach millions of Vodafone customers on any device and will be able to charge for it directly through Vodafone’s billing system. 

Vodafone will also provide partners and developers with customer controlled access to other network capabilities, such as location awareness.

Vodafone’s has 289 million customers. 

Vodafone notes that the move is related to its involvement in the Joint Innovation Lab (JIL), a mobile software alliance comprising mobile operators Vodafone, China Mobile, Japan's Softbank and Verizon (News - Alert) Wireless (the latter 45 percent-owned by Vodafone). 

The project is seen as an attempt by the mobile operators to develop their own software for mobile devices as an alternative to mobile software from the likes of Apple, Google and Nokia. 

Earlier this year Mobile Business Briefing exclusively revealed plans by China Mobile (News - Alert) to launch its 'Mobile Market' store by the end of 2009. 

Vodafone said today it will start to offer access to selected network enablers via JIL, which would allow developers to create widgets for a combined audience of up to one billion customers (across the four JIL partner networks).