Verizon Wireless To Let You Use Any Phone On Its Network
Verizon has announced, to the amazement of many of us cynics, that it will be opening up its wireless network to any device that meets a minimum set of technical standards, the specifics of which will be announced in early 2008. Those standards are likely to be something simple along the lines of connecting to the CDMA network that Verizon runs, and that don't interfere with wireless traffic.
In fact Verizon Wireless Chief Marketing Officer, John Stratton, told a Dow Jones reporter that the devices in question need not be phones. He is quoted as saying the types of devices a customer could connect are "subject to the imagination of the marketplace." Hello, Kindle, Zune, and other wireless devices that are not phones.
This means that, if you so desired, you could build your own phone, or mobile Internet device, or even portable video game system with high-speed EV-DO capabilities in your basement on a breadboard, take it or send it to the Verizon labs, and, if it passes muster, connect it to the Verizon network. But that's for geeks like us (or maybe you) -- what's more likely is that people will buy themselves an unlocked phone, or perhaps a phone from a small name builder, or maybe just carry over their Sprint or Alltel handsets. (Phones from T-Mobile and AT&T will not work because those operators use GSM, a different technology than Verizon.)
Verizon also said it would allow users to surf the Web openly and download any independent, third-party applications. This kind of functionality has been available around the world for a while now, but it's a first for the United States. The long and short of it is you'll be able to pick and choose what you want to download to your phone, rather than rely on whatever Verizon offers you "on deck." It also means, most likely, that users will be able to download porn for the first time onto their phones (again, something that the rest of the world has been able to do for a while).
One risk that comes with all this extra access is the increased probability of viruses and other malware on your phone. Because only carrier-approved software has been allowed to be installed on most phones until now, the cell phone space has been relatively free of viruses. Our guess is, this won't be true for much longer.
Exact details on how Verizon plans to implement this groundbreaking new strategy are limited at this point, and what exactly this means for the consumer remains to be seen. But the decision by Verizon to open its network to any hardware or software a customer desires is a game changing event, and one that sends the industry in the right direction. In fact, this is one way for Verizon to allow devices running Google's Android mobile OS with out joining the Open Handset Alliance.
Open access, open source, open everything. Are we seeing the beginnings of the next big shift in the technology industry away from the traditional business models? Can customers expect more choices and more transparency from now on? Time will tell.
In the meantime, we've created a little gallery of our favorite phones that we hope, some day, may make it onto one of our favorite carriers. We've even included the iPhone (duh), but remember, since that phone works on GSM networks, it won't EVER work with Verizon unless Apple decides some day to make a CDMA version of the iPhone.
Gallery: Phones We'd Like to See on Verizon
From BetaNews
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
pad said 4:40AM on 12-12-2008
i just saw on tv about the pay as you go & i would like to finnd out
more about this phone service
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kevin said 12:18PM on 11-28-2007
thank god cause sprint sucks
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Michael Bierman said 1:31PM on 11-28-2007
Yes, sprint/nextel is the pits, when I had them they overcharged, I could not get towers to
support the phone from one area to another even when they were either sprint or nextel areas.
I was so glad to leave them and go to UScellular
which is great.
Michael of Art
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Michael Bierman said 1:30PM on 11-28-2007
are you going to send my confirmation email anytime today?
Michael of Art
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alleycat3 said 12:59PM on 11-28-2007
Your Headline is misleading. I have two european sony-ericson phones GSM operator locks are illegal for more than a year in Norway andI wont be able to use it with verizon. Their announcement is false. You should read and verify before publishing. Thank you.
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harlem146st said 1:25PM on 11-28-2007
alleycat stop crying!!!!! Just read the article!! It was supposed to draw your attention that way.
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Mark the Spark said 1:32PM on 11-28-2007
BIG F'N DEAL.....I SOLD THESE DEVICES WHEN THEY WERE A NECESSITY FOR MD'S....NOW, THEY ARE A PAIN IN THE ASS AS NITWIT USERS HAVE LITTLE CLUE TO COURTESY...NO ONE NEEDS TO BE TEHTHERED TO A DEVICE 24/7...NO ONE IS THAT IMPORTANT...CELL USERS, GET OVER YOURSELVES AND SHUT THE F UP WHEN OTHERS ARE AROUND YOU...........
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Carol said 1:40PM on 11-28-2007
Sorry Mark-- I like being accessible to my customers 24/7. Course I like being an over achiever! This, combined with some of the rate changes will probably lure me from my current provider.
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robert Davidson said 1:42PM on 11-28-2007
Mark the spark, perhaps you should get over yourself, I will be the judge of whether I'm important enough to need a cell. And by the way, judging from the tone of your post, you seem more obnoxious than any cell user I've encountered.
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PartyHearty said 1:57PM on 11-28-2007
Amen to MarktheSpark.
Although, personally, I would BLEEP some of the more colorful language.
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Geeezzz said 2:07PM on 11-28-2007
Alleycat..... read the WHOLE article before posting
"(duh), but remember, since that phone works on GSM networks, it won't EVER work with Verizon unless Apple decides some day to make a CDMA version of the iPhone."
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Debbie Jo said 3:50PM on 11-28-2007
All I want is Verizon to let me buy something that I can use to download my camera pics onto my PC so that I don't have to pay them $2 a month for the priviledge of using Verizon to do so. That is my ONLY complaint from Verizon. Their service is EXCELLENT & they've tried to help us in any way with our phones, service, questions, etc. Now EVERYONE can switch & be happy.
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Tim said 3:52PM on 11-28-2007
Remember, you have to get your device approved by Verizon. Currently software apps require a signing process that there is a charge. Maybe this is a mechanism for Verizon to generate new ideas to utilize their network.
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Peter S. said 4:28PM on 11-28-2007
Mark the Spark has Tourettes.
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Pamela said 4:37PM on 11-28-2007
Oh I know there will be a charge for this service. Nothing is free. But what I am wondering that is someone willing to pay the charge to use Verizion network and pay for their phone service with their current provider? Is so, I don't think that makes a lot of sense to me. Your just adding another bill.
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Mark the Spark said 4:56PM on 11-28-2007
Fine.....you wanna think your important with your device, you think that way. The shallowness becomes you. Your clinets need you 24/7 and your not an MD, you probably sell dope, hopefully the good stuff. Sorry to those who need the latest and greatest device. My suggestion is first learn to use the "off" button and be selective where you take your "must call" as most folks around you could give a damn about your life. If they had any guts, they would tell it to your face.
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dabotner said 5:06PM on 11-28-2007
If Verizon lowered their rates, I would switch today.
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Max Fortgang said 11:08PM on 11-28-2007
alleycat3,
Take your own advice and read the article (do research) and you will see that they mention exactly what you just said, qualifying the headline..
statements like that really piss me off.
thank you
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DOMINICK said 6:28PM on 11-28-2007
SPRINT NEXTEL CINGULAR ALL SUCK I CAN SIT ONTOP OF THE CELL TOWER AND STILL DROP A CALL SO I SWITCHED TO VERIZON AND GET RECEPTION EVERYWHERE EVEN 3 MILES OFFSHORE, AND I PAY FOR 5 PHONES LESS THEN MY 1 PHONE FOR SPRINT THEY ARE OVERPRICED PLANS ........... STICK TO VERIZON THEY ARE THE RELIABLE ONE NOT CINGULAR
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SuperDad said 6:57PM on 11-28-2007
Allycat, re-read the article, it clearly state GSM will not work. DUH!
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