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Verizon Wireless Responds To Competitive Pressures By Promising To Open Its Network
from the good-news dept
That appears to be happening surprisingly quickly. Back in February, Carlo noted that Verizon Wireless was the last hold-out for the old "walled garden" approach, with the other carriers having already taken steps to open their networks. Two recent announcements—Apple's iPhone and Google's Android—likely spurred Verizon Wireless to follow suit. The iPhone is far from an open device, but it is a clear example of what can be accomplished if a technology company is given the flexibility to design a mobile computer without having to kowtow to wireless carriers' whims. The success of the iPhone has put pressure on the other carriers to come up with a competitive response, and building a device as compelling as the iPhone almost requires that technologists be given a free hand in making design decisions Sprint and T-Mobile's support for Google's relatively open Android operating system strengthened the impression that Verizon Wireless was the last hold-out for the walled garden approach.
Today's announcement is a smart business decision for a number of reasons. First and foremost, the way to succeed in high-tech industries is to be the platform that other companies use to build their products and services. If Verizon follows through on its promises and opens up its network, it will dramatically reduce the time and frustration required to get a new device approved for use on Verizon's network. That will make it the logical partner for innovative small companies seeking to launch a new mobile device, service, or software product. It will also make Verizon Wireless an attractive partner for firms wanting to make non-phone mobile devices. This announcement also takes the wind out of the sails of advocates for government-mandated open networks. Verizon Wireless doubtless prefers to open its network on its own terms and its own schedule, instead of having its hand forced by government regulators.
There are still a lot of questions to be answered: most importantly, how much the bandwidth will cost. If it sets the price too high, it will be hard for Verizon Wireless' partners to make a profit. Additionally, we won't know until we see the exact terms how open their "open" network really will be. It wouldn't be the first time a technology company started using the word "open" to describe fundamentally non-open products. But if the terms and price turn out to be reasonable this announcement should provide a big boost to innovation in the wireless space in the coming years.
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skepticism makes me question it
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Years of Experience Makes me Question it...
CDMA is defacto a closed network -- it's not a healthy ecosystem. Verizon is just giving lip service to the anti-carrier hype and attempting to soften its image with a little strategic PR.
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Re: Years of Experience Makes me Question it...
And Korea, of course. But you have to admit that there's a pretty big market between the US, Canada and Korea... and it's a market of relatively well-off purchasers who are often early adopters of technology. No, it's not a GSM network, but I think people writing this off because it's CDMA are jumping too far.
I agree that I doubt VZW will really be as open as the PR pitch... but it's not because of the CDMA network.
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Also, on the iPhone.
If the iPhone wasn't kowtowing to AT&TWS, then where's the:
- Sync over Bluetooth / WiFi
- Support for iSync and .Mac
- Native support for installable apps
... and why is it tied so tightly to iTunes?
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Re: Also, on the iPhone.
I won't speak for Tim, but to call the iPhone a "glorified Blackberry" misses the point entirely -- and, of anyone, you know that better than most people, Ian.
However, more to the point, Tim wasn't calling the iPhone a poster child for wireless net neutrality. He was saying that it's the sort of competition that made VZW realize they needed to do more and to open up more. In other words, competition is driving progress in this area, meaning legislation probably isn't needed. That doesn't mean the iPhone is "the poster child for net neutrality." It isn't. And it doesn't need to be.
It just needs to be serious competition for VZW forcing them to think about ways to innovate and compete.
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Re: Also, on the iPhone.
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Re: Also, on the iPhone.
I'm now the happy owner of an iPhone.
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doubts
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Great News!!
Admittily most are small Island nations. However there are a few key players that have CDMA (slightly different varaitions, but gernally same concept).
This is HUGE for Verizon and cell phones in general. I have been waiting for VZW to open up for years. I am glad they *finally* figured out that they still can make money with this logical approach.
GSM may be the worlds leading, and not to knock it, but soon it will hit a platue in data speed capabilities. 3rd generation CDMA will surpass GSM in speed ability (greatly).
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Re: Great News!!
3G GSM is already deployed. HSDPA is partially deployed and growing fast. How and when will 3G CDMA surpass GSM on speed?
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What does Open mean to Verizon?
Developers may shy away from wireless appliance building if they feel that native Verizon products will be favored on the Verizon network. This should be easy to test, once the code is released.
Also, it'll be neat if developers find hidden "hooks" in the Verizon-branded phones that are not in the spec.
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total misinformation from Verizon
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BTW, if China and India are CDMA, then there will soon be more CDMA handsets than GSM ones.
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Don't trust 'em.
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Japan Is Also CDMA
But an argument the other way is that Korea and Japan use different CDMA frequency bands that the US and Canada.
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