SEOUL, Korea—Add another open mobile operating system into the mix. Samsung Electronics this week announced the launch of its own Samsung bada, which will be available to developers in December.

The company says the platform, named after the Korean word for “ocean,” is designed to enable developers to create applications for Samsung phones and build an enhanced smartphone experience.

The platform is not intended to run on top of another OS; rather, Samsung describes it as its own complete operating system. The company is working closely with content providers, developer companies and individual developers, according to Sophia Kim, manager of the global communications group at Samsung Electronics.

It’s expected that some applications will be free; others will be offered for a fee, but “our aim is clearly not to generate revenue or profit but to encourage more content providers and developers to join,” she said.

More information is expected to come when Samsung hosts an official launch event in London next month, when it will unveil the bada software development kit for the first time.