Mobile carriers will challenge Google and Apple’s grip on mobile applications when they unveil a new HQ for the Wholesale Applications Community this week.
The group, established during this year’s Mobile World Congress, will set up in London and begin working on a platform designed to allow applications to run on any handset.
The platform could be ready to roll by the end of the year, offering developers a single standard for apps development, The Guardian reports.
Development of the platform will be boosted by a merger with the Open Mobile Terminal Platform (OMTP), which has already developed the Bondi applications platform.
However, the merged group is likely to focus its attentions on an open platform currently being developed by the Joint Innovation Lab, the paper states.
Leading players including Vodafone, O2 and Orange were among 24 carriers that unveiled the community in February, though the number has now swelled to 40 carriers.