Qualcomm goes with Plaza

By Sue Marek

Building on the growing personalization phenomenon, Qualcomm Internet Services  is announcing a platform-agnostic service, called Plaza,  that provides a framework for widget development that will enable operators to provide users with personalized access to the mobile Internet. Plaza will let operators and developers produce and deliver Internet-based content across devices. "We are leveraging our service delivery ecosystem with BREW and bringing it to the Widget delivery platform," said Andrew Gilbert, executive vice president and president of Qualcomm Internet Services, MediaFLO Technologies and Qualcomm Europe. Plaza is intended to let operators personalize their subscribers' mobile Internet experiences and drive additional revenue. 

According to Gilbert, Plaza lets subscribers build a widget catalog easily and seamlessly. "It's a great way to deliver and consume content in a mobile environment. It's easy to get access to the Web. We will help the operator ensure these widgets are trusted, certified and part of the good experience for customer," Gilbert said. "We also will strengthen the brand value of the operator and deliver it as part of an overall package to the operator.  It ties with recommendation and profiling. They come together as part of this rich and open BREW experience."

Plaza is not device dependent but operators can personalize and certify them. Qualcomm is also working with developers to develop widgets for Plaza.