An international alliance formed by U.S., European and Asian carriers and phone makers is expected to set standards for mobile phone applications.

PC World reported on Monday that Mobile carriers AT&T, Sprint, Verizon Wireless and 21 others, along with manufacturers LG, Samsung and Sony Ericsson have joined forces as the Wholesale Applications Community.

The first goal for the WAC is to set programming standards for developers of phone applications, which is expected to be ready within a year.

PC World further stated that with one application process, the WAC could make it easier for applications developers to reach a potential audience of 3 billion people.

For users, a standardized process could also mean applications would be useful on a wider range of devices. (With Input from Agencies)