Hell Freezes Over: Verizon to Open Network to “Any Apps, Any Device”
This post was published 2 years 3 months 23 days ago which may make its actuality or expire date not be valid anymore. This site is not responsible for any misunderstanding.I had to reread this news post several times. The most closed cellphone carrier in the US has pledged to open its network to “Any Apps, Any Device.”
Today Verizon Wireless announced that it will allow customers to use any compatible device, application or software–even those not available directly from Verizon–on its network beginning next year. Verizon said it will publish technical standards that developers can use to create applications and software that can be used on its devices and network. It will also test and certify specific devices in its own lab. Any device or application that meets the minimum standards will be activated for customers who wish to use them. Verizon will be offering this new level of flexibility country-wide by the end of 2008. Verizon’s existing retail sales model will remain in place, and customers will continue to be able to purchase Verizon handsets and services as they do today.
This actually makes the story that Sprint will unlock their phones actually newsworthy!
With CDMA carriers, the locking is in the system. In other words, the system will not play with a phone unless the phone’s unique ID is in the system A CDMA phone is not “locked” but is made unusable because it is not “registered” with the system. The point of these two stories is that the carriers are both saying they will now register anyphone that comes to them and that is compatible.
They are all so scared to loose market share that they are forced to make this concesssion. It is about time.
One bad thing about this is that stolen phones can now easily be activated on the other carrier unless somebody builds an open database of stolen CDMA phone IDs…