TIM to launch Qualcomm-powered app store in Brazil

Qualcomm has announced  a big win for its Plaza Retail white-label app store platform, signing up the Brazilian subsidiary of global operator group TIM.

The TIM App Store will launch in the first quarter next year, and says it will run on its full range of handsets. The big deal about Plaza Retail is that it’s capable of supporting Java, Brew, Flash and Android, with Windows Mobile, Symbian, Palm and LiMo due to be added in the future.

“This collaboration was fundamental in being able to offer a robust platform that is compatible with all the operating systems included in our mobile device portfolio,” says Rogério Takanayagi, TIM's chief marketing officer.

Qualcomm says that TIM’s app store will be available to its 40 million subscribers in Brazil, who’ll be able to download the app store client from TIM’s portal.

However, Nokia’s experience with Ovi Store elsewhere in the world suggests this will make for a slow start, with take-up only accelerating once the store is preloaded on new handsets.

TIM and Qualcomm plan to run a series of developer workshops in November to explain the store’s “business model and benefits” to app-makers.

What that business model is hasn’t been announced – it will be interesting to see if TIM follows the 70-30 revenue split in favour of developers that has become standard on the app stores of handset firms.

Latin America is seemingly fertile ground for Qualcomm’s push into white-label services for operators. In July, it signed the first contract for its Plaza Mobile Internet widget platform with America Movil.