Verizon Wireless has announced that it will be opening up its network, allowing customers to use devices and software not sold by the company. Essentially, this means that any CDMA phone can be designed to work on Verizon’s network (with Sprint being the other large CDMA carrier in the US), and customers will have a wider selection of operating systems and software they can use.
Previously, Verizon and other carriers have pre-packaged their phones with software, which mobile developers often pay them to carry. With this new direction, Verizon will publish standards that developers can use to build applications that will run on their network.
T-Mobile has already joined up and will be releasing Android-based handsets in 2008. With today’s move, Verizon looks to be giving up a short-term revenue stream in favor of the long-term movement towards a more open wireless environment, so joining up with Google is likely the next step.
[via WSJ]