GetJar says operators want their own App Stores

GetJar has built up quite a following, claiming around 13 million downloads a month of the free mobile applications offered on its website.

Now the company says it's increasingly working with mobile operators to provide them with app stores to take on, well, Apple's App Store.

In an interview with MocoNews, VP of sales and business development Bill Scott says GetJar is working with ten operators around the world, including 3 UK.

The model appears to be aggregating free mobile apps (including games) for these operators on a separate WAP site to their own portals, where they continue to sell games and apps.

Developers pay GetJar for featured placement in these stores, with the operator taking a share - there are also advertising revenues shared out, apparently.

With the iPhone App Store seeing booming popularity for free games, it'll be intriguing to see if GetJar's model takes off with more operators - and if so, whether this will cannibalise their paid-for games businesses.