Vodafone's spokesman added that the release of the billing API would take "the administrative burden of charging" away from the developer — apps will simply be charged to the user's Vodafone bill. He added that the revenue split for applications would see 70 percent go to the developer with 30 percent being retained by the operator.
Apple and Google, the two companies that have established mobile app stores, have divergent policies on the vetting of apps — Apple keeps a notoriously close eye on what apps go on sale through iTunes, and Google is more relaxed about what goes on the Android Market. Vodafone's spokesman said the operator group would be "very clear and upfront with developers and third-party service providers what we deem to be appropriate content".
"Apps will be certified by Vodafone to ensure that they meet the criteria that have been set out by Vodafone," the spokesman said. He could not, however, say what those criteria would be, nor could he say whether internet telephony (VoIP) applications — which have traditionally be frowned upon by operators — would be permitted.
Telecoms analyst Dean Bubley, of Disruptive Analysis, told ZDNet UK on Tuesday that Vodafone's strategy could pay off because of its cross-platform support.
"There are two trends at the moment: apps which run natively in the operating system, which have been given a boost by the app store concept, and apps running purely in the browser or as widgets," Bubley said. "I suspect we're overdue for a flip back to the web app, or widget, world. One of the things that the web app world promises is much better cross-platform support, in contrast to the Apple approach."
Bubley added that the cross-platform web app approach would be "more favourable" to a developer unless that developer "absolutely needs the horsepower from native apps".
