Every operator wants their own mobile app store, but how many have the stomach for the kind of investment being made by the likes of Apple and Nokia?

It's a question that'll be answered in the next 12-18 months, but Qualcomm is hoping it can help cash-strapped carriers with a new product called Plaza Retail.

Launching as part of the company's existing Plaza platform - which was originally focused on mobile widgets - Plaza Retail is effectively a white-label app store which operators can brand as their own.

Its big thing is that it won't be tied to specific handsets or manufacturers, like many of its rivals. It currently supports Java, BREW, Flash and BlackBerry, with plans to add Android, Windows Mobile, Palm, Symbian and LiMo in the future.

The storefront itself will be web, WAP or an on-handset application (or all three - operators will presumably choose the combination they want). The existing Plaza widgets platform comes bundled in too.

"Success in this market will be dictated by delivering mobile retail experiences across multiple platforms and networks, backed by a healthy ecosystem of publishers with an automated, transparent supply chain" says Qualcomm's Arvin Chander, who's heading up the new initiative.

However, what'll dictate the success of Plaza Retail will be how many customers Qualcomm signs up, and how soon. There is no shortage of companies looking to provide white-label app stores to operators.