Last week Opera announced the global launch of Opera Apps Club, a subscription-based “all you can download” service for premium Android apps.

In its announcement, Opera said this new model, which is highly customizable, lets app developers reach a new audience of mobile users, particularly in markets where credit and debit card penetration is low.

“With these markets in mind, it has no need for credit cards, providing carrier billing for 100% of its addressable users,” says the Opera website. “Also, there is no need for a mobile data plan to download new apps – all app downloads within Opera Apps Club can be done for free – making the service accessible for all.”

Opera Apps Club only works with “the best available apps covering all key app categories”:

• Rated with 4 stars or above
• Ad-free
• Premium titles or titles with in-app purchase credit included
• Most popular apps in each key Google Play category
• Best value – over $2,000 U.S. in premium apps and included in-app purchases

Opera Apps Club was previously only available in Latin America and Brazil to six million subscribers. Since Opera’s acquisition of Bemobi last year, however, the company’s combined assets made it possible to expand Opera Apps Club outside those regions.

Subscribers can now get unlimited access to select mobile apps for a small weekly or monthly fee, paying through their wireless carrier. Currently, there are more than 400 apps, free for subscribers to download, says Android Authority. Not sure you’re ready for this? There’s a free week-long trial.

Insider Take:

This is an interesting and exciting idea which we see appealing to two primary markets: Android users who download a lot of apps and users in emerging markets where paying by debit or credit is difficult or impossible.

What we don’t know is how much the service costs or what apps are available through the club, except for Angry Birds who announced today that it will be part of the club. So far, the app itself is not available in the Google Play store. Perhaps it is too new to find much information, but we’ll keep looking and we’ll update you when we learn more.