Cross-operator apps platform promises in-app purchases, location and advertising network.
The multi-operator Wholesale Applications Community (WAC) has formed a company, appointed a board and given developers more information about its plans this morning.
WAC will join forces with the existing Joint Innovation Lab (JIL) by the end of September, before publishing its initial specification and some SDK components in November.
WAC, if you remember, is the body set up by a host of operators to provide a single 'pipe' for developers to get apps into the operators' app stores.
JIL CEO and former Vodafone exec Peters Suh has been named as WAC's CEO, while Vodafone Europe's chief executive Michel Combes has been named as chairman. France Telecom's Jean-Philippe Vanot will be vice chairman.
Onto the details for developers. Once WAC's platform goes live, developers will be able to submit apps for the operator stores, setting their own prices - although the operators will each decide what revenue share they wish to offer.
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WAC gets a "small tranasction fee" for every application to cover its costs.
According to today's announcement: "In the future, WAC will offer business models that enable additional purchases from within an application; leverage network capabilities, such as location, to enhance an application; and facilitate the serving of advertisements to end users."
Developers will be hoping this happens sooner rather than later, given that all three are already present in Apple's iOS, with the likes of Google, RIM and Nokia all moving fast to catch up.
WAC will publish its initial specification in November, based on W3C standards, for rich mobile web applications. It also says it'll be backwardly compatible with devices based on the current JIL and BONDI specifications.
All this will be previewed in September for developers, apparently. They should expect to be able to start distributing their apps through WAC member operators from next year.
"Today’s announcement that we are bringing together the innovation and leadership of WAC and JIL to form a combined entity marks a great step forward in our goal to provide a truly unified and open applications environment," says Combes.
