Qualcomm said May 18 that it was offering a service that enables mobile devices on any network to access an online application store.

Called Plaza Retail, the service will be platform-neutral and allow developers and mobile operators to sell applications to mobile users.

“It’s completely agnostic. The good thing for Qualcomm is that it opens up a much larger market for us,” said marketing director Sunni Tweet, who added that Plaza Retail will also work on phones without Qualcomm-designed chipsets.

Apple iPhone and Research in Motion’s BlackBerry both offer vertically integrated app stores — that are tied to those specific devices.

With Plaza, application retailers can offer customers the benefit of being able to upgrade or change devices without losing their applications. And operators and application developers can reach much wider audiences.

A white label solution, Plaza Retail will be branded by individual mobile carriers. It is designed to support all major platforms, including Java, BREW, Flash and BlackBerry with planned support for Android, Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian and LiMo.

Tweet said the company has not announced any customers.

The system includes three environments: A Component Connection that shows application developers the channels their content would be distributed through; a Management Center that allows the retailer the ability to place content and run special promotions; and the Storefront on the device that provides a “consistent experience” for customers across devices.

Qualcomm will also integrate its Xiam technology, acquired from an acquisition in March 2008, that measures user demographics and behavioral patterns to recommend specialized content.

“That makes it a personal experience,” Tweet said.

A manufacturer can preload the storefront software on a mobile device, or a user can download it. The user would need some level of data service.
The service builds on Qualcomm’s BREW application community which is being used by 60 operators across the world.

Like Plaza Retail, BREW is branded by each operator. For instance, Verizon uses the BREW platform to sell ringtones, games and wallpaper under the name “Get it Now.”

Qualcomm trades on the Nasdaq as QCOM. Shares closed May 19 at $42.34. The stock’s 52-week range has been $56.88 to $28.16.