Verizon is in the process of opening up its Verizon Hub VoIP phone to third-party applications and is dropping the requirement that Hub users also be Verizon Wireless customers.

Launched in February (story here), the Verizon Hub is available in Verizon Wireless stores across the country for $199.99 after a $50 mail-in rebate with a two-year agreement; additional cordless handsets, which can be placed throughout the home, are available for $79.99 each.

During the launch, Verizon said that because all of the billing for Verizon Hub runs through Verizon Wireless, customers need a wireless line of service with Verizon Wireless in order to take part in Verizon Hub . But a spokesman for Verizon told Reuters yesterday that the company is “in the process of getting rid of that restriction.”

Application stores became popular with the launch of Apple’s iPhone last summer, which includes various applications that can be downloaded directly into the iPhone or iTouch.

Verizon said its Hub application store will be ready sometime this year.