With the success of Apple’s iPhone App Store, Ericsson will soon play catch-up with its own mobile applications store.

Apple’s App Store has more than 50,000 applications and there are thousands more in the pipe-line. And with the migration of most Internet users to the mobile phone, App developers may be looking at a gold-mine.

Ericsson will in due course launch its own app store that will target mobile operators. This app store will be able to launch apps for a variety of Ericsson’s gadgets. Apple’s App Store is until now only available for the expensive Apple iPhone and the iPod gadgets. Ericsson’s USP may be that their apps will be available for their numerous models already in the market and may also be available for their lower-end models.

Ericsson claims that it has sorted out the billing procedures as well as the setting up of a developer community for its apps store.

The setting up of app stores is a win-win for all parties involved: in addition to the phone manufacturer, the carrier service as well as the developer community will reap monetized benefits from the venture.