Qualcomm’s Plaza Retail mobile internet solution is among the new offerings and initiatives the telecom leader is showcasing at the world’s largest mobile industry gathering, held in Barcelona February 16-19.

Qualcomm first announced Plaza Retail, a “new end-to-end widget framework that will allow operators to drive use of the mobile Internet” last May and released a series of teaser videos about the service on YouTube in late 2008. Qualcomm envisions Plaza Retail as an easy-to-implement, platform-neutral alternative to competitive offerings from Nokia, Yahoo and Apple via the iPhone.

Working with San Diego-based MiresBall, Applied Storytelling provided an array of messaging tools and written communications to support Plaza’s launch, beginning with the name of the service itself. Early on, the effort also included the development of clear, simple messages targeted to operators, publishers and device manufacturers. To develop these messages, Applied Storytelling worked not only with Plaza Retail stakeholders but also conducted a systematic review of competitors’ communications.

MiresBall has led Plaza’s overall brand expression, beginning with the Plaza Retail identity and extending to ads, videos and marketing collateral. The current initiative to support Plaza builds on extensive mobile communications expertise the two firms have developed over the past several years, working closely with Qualcomm and others.