Teknovis

Vodafone has announced that it is creating an online application store. I think that this is an interesting move, because as far as I am aware it is the first time that a mobile phone network operator has actually created its own application store.

This announcement is evidence of the shifting role of telcos from simple bit-carriers to providers of value-added applications and services. This is turn should increase revenues significantly, without incurring proportional costs.

I think that the advantages of this strategy to users are:

• Identifying and sourcing new applications becomes easy
• Purchasing new applications becomes seamless due to integrated charging
• Access to new and innovate services

I think that the advantages of this strategy for developers are:

• It reduces the barriers-of-entry for smaller developers to get their applications to the users
• It reduces the need for developers to market and promote their applications
• It eliminates the need for developers to collect revenue from users
• It enables developers to write applications that access resources within Vodafone’s network by using a Vodafone API.

So it is a win-win-win situation!

For more details about this story see Voda joins app store wars with smart pipe approach.

Tags: Vodafone