US operator Sprint has selected Openwave’s Integra technology to deploy a new ecosystem of enhanced services within the browser. Openwave says the Sprint Browser-VAS (value-added services) ecosystem will provide developers with the tools they need to develop apps and value-added services that run in the browser, allowing developers to monetise and market application content to consumers and enterprise customers. It adds that Sprint is the first operator in the world to announce a browser-VAS ecosystem.

Openwave notes that mobile developers are challenged today by fragmentation in the OS/application development environment. Even within the same operating system, there may be multiple versions, as platforms continue to evolve. And the variety of hardware form factors and capabilities, from smartphones to tablets, make it tough to ensure that apps will port from one to another.

Until now, says Openwave, no ecosystem has been available to deploy enhanced services through the browser, adding that its partnership with Sprint will deliver an opportunity for developers to create apps that will execute in the browser, and therefore work across multiple platforms and form factors.  

“Developers expect to be able to quickly and easily develop, market, distribute and monetise mobile applications,” says Scott Ellison, vice president, Mobile and Wireless, at the analyst, IDC. “In order to compete in the app store space, developers need a way to quickly create and deliver contextual offerings that enhance the overall mobile user experience. Solutions that help enable developers enjoy the same benefits of the app stores and platforms within the mobile browser environment combined with the unique benefits that operators have to offer, should ultimately grow the mobile ecosystem market opportunity for everyone.”