Vodafone unveiled a suite of initiatives on May 12 designed to attract content creators and third-party application developers to deliver a range of Vodafone-branded applications and services. The operator will extend access to a standard set of application programme interfaces (APIs) that enable developers to create software that uses capabilities such as direct billing and location awareness.

Vodafone intends applications and services to be compatible across devices and software platforms. It claims developers will benefit from a single point of access to the Vodafone customer base of 289 million customers.

The initiative will also include the launch of a Vodafone software store, with a 70 percent revenue share for developers. Although the operator has not disclosed specific launch dates, it expects to make applications available to customers before the end of 2009.

 "The biggest challenge facing Vodafone will be overcoming developer preconceptions about the role of a network operator," says a report by mobile consultancy CCS Insight. "Many developers believe operators stifle innovation rather than fostering it."