Handango has launched an application provisioning platform (AMPP) for mobile operators and handset manufacturers. Handango said the AMPP incorporates its technology platform with new features optimized for wireless users and mobile operators.

The new solution enables mobile operators to access Handango's catalog of mobile software and its Handango's technology. Handango AMPP consists of three core components:

-- Source -- Handango's application catalog of more than 20,000 software titles for Java (J2ME), Symbian, Palm OS, Pocket PC and Linux devices.

-- Discovery Engine -- The multi-language, multi-brand, device-agnostic presentment layer.

-- Commerce Engine -- The transaction processing and digital rights management systems.

Handango said its AMPP is a fully managed offering and includes carrier-grade infrastructure hosting, customization to present users with a fully branded look and feel, marketing to drive demand and revenues, customer service to handle first-line support and payment processing to ensure that all parties -- developers, licensees and others -- are paid on time.

The company said new delivery options enable customers to get software quickly and easily from anywhere, and Handango claims its AMPP is the first platform to support direct-to-device software provisioning for all major mobile software platforms. Applications can be downloaded through a wireline or wireless connection using SMS, EMS, WAP download and WAP push. Delivery via short messaging service (SMS) is now available, enabling users to receive software directly on their device via text messages.

New purchasing options include interactive voice response (IVR), virtual wallet payments and carrier billing integration provide purchasing options for wireless subscribers. Using IVR, users can purchase applications over the phone by dialing a toll number. Virtual wallets allow mobile subscribers to establish pre-paid accounts for micropayments. A new set of APIs (application program interfaces) in Handango AMPP enable mobile operators to integrate with their billing systems so that purchases and subscriptions appear on the subscriber's wireless phone bill.