Qualcomm announced Plaza, a platform-agnostic wireless Internet service that provides a common framework for the development and support of widgets that will enable operators to provide their end users with quick and personalized access to the mobile Internet.

After the introduction of Plaza, operators and developers can produce and deliver Internet-based content across their devices, in order to drive the usage of wireless data services and improve subscriber stickiness. Qualcomm said Plaza’s ease of implementation will give it an advantage over competitors. While Plaza is not device-dependent, operators can integrate it into their hardware and opt to give these widgets prominent placement on the device.

Plaza is focused on enabling operators to bring more simplicity and personalization to their subscribers’ mobile Internet experiences. When combined with subscriber intelligence and available device real estate, Plaza’s end-to-end widget framework and user experience provides operators with a solution to drive use of the mobile Internet. An integrated marketing platform also plays a role in driving additional revenue to Plaza operators by allowing for targeted campaigns within the widget ecosystem.

“With its multi-platform device support, the Plaza solution will provide a widget ecosystem that leverages Qualcomm’s expertise and success from the proven BREW ecosystem, giving publishers, developers and operators the ability to open up the mobile Internet to subscribers and monetize it for operators and content providers alike,” said Andrew Gilbert, executive vice president and president of Qualcomm Internet Services, MediaFLO Technologies and Qualcomm Europe.

“Plaza is designed such that mobile widgets can come from a number of sources, including operators, Web companies and leading brands, who all share the ultimate goal of driving subscriber adoption of the mobile Internet. We believe that providing end users with an easy way to extend their online lives to their mobile devices will help drive the uptake of data services.”

Plaza extends benefits to content providers by allowing them to easily create useful widgets that drive users to their service offerings. Whether it is traditional Web sites, information services or other content stores, Plaza will enable a host of indirect discovery benefits and increased product and service monetization. Plaza’s use of open standards for widget development will allow the existing Web development community to create widgets for the mobile Internet, while not excluding traditional mobile application developers, and even allowing for user-generated widgets. Qualcomm is actively working with operators to define and refine the full Plaza experience prior to commercialization.