T-Mobile has taken steps to simplify the process of monetizing mobile apps and providing analytical services to developers working within its network.
The wireless provider has entered into partnerships with several mobile ad-networks including AdMarvel, AdMax and Quattro Wireless to provide a means for developers to monetize apps on its “Web2Go” portal. In addition, T-Mobile has partnered with Flurry to provide feedback to both developers and T-Mobile itself on how consumers interact with its mobile applications.
The analytical data will be collected anonymously, and then reported back in aggregate to both developers and T-Mobile. It currently only works with the Android, BlackBerry and Java platforms as a basic free service, but developers in T-Mobile’s developer program will have a shot at receiving additional Flurry services at a discounted rate.
T-Mobile’s Web2Go portal, which replaced its previous “T-Zones” solution, includes the consumer-facing side of its developers program. In the beginning, the portal didn’t allow for advertising as a means to monetize apps being developed, but the company has since listened to its developers and changed its mind.
The company also lifted a lot of barriers that were keeping the initial program from taking off. For one, it standardized the revenue split, making it 70/30 across the board, as well as making mobile ad-networks available through its free application to anyone who wants to integrate them- a process that took longer than anticipated according to T-Mobile.
The question remains, however, as to how T-Mobile will split advertising revenue within apps running on its Web2Go portal. Unlike Apple’s App Store where developers keep 100% of advertising revenue, T-Mobile might instead opt for another revenue split. Either way, it’s a move in the right direction for the fourth-place wireless provider.
