Verizon readying new VCast Apps store

The center, located in an office building near San Francisco's waterfront, includes an isolated testbed network that replicates Verizon's LTE (Long-Term Evolution) network. Developers can also find current and pre-commercial devices to test their apps on, and meet with Verizon engineers who are based there to help them, the company said.

The AIC complements Verizon's LTE Innovation Center, opened earlier this year in Waltham, Massachusetts, where the carrier works with developers of devices for the LTE network. In time, the two centers will collaborate on joint projects to drive forward new uses of the high-speed network, said David Small, vice president and chief technical officer of Verizon Wireless.

Though Verizon had rolled out new networks before, the introduction of the high-capacity LTE network posed new technical challenges in populating the network with devices and applications, Small said.

"We recognized from the beginning that the potential for innovation is bigger than Verizon alone," Small said.

Stephen Lawson covers mobile, storage and networking technologies for The IDG News Service. Follow Stephen on Twitter at @sdlawsonmedia. Stephen's e-mail address is stephen_lawson@idg.com