Gizmodo
We're at Verizon's Open Development Conference, where they'll be pulling back the curtain on their Any App, Any Device open network initiative, revealing all the gory specs and details for building your own superphone and lording it on Verizon's network. Update: The specs, we've got 'em, plus Verizon's open development site—hit the jump and scroll down.
Whoa: They've got a massive disclaimer about the FCC's anti-collusion rule on the 700MHz auction, saying they can't talk about it. Translation: They won something.
Open Development New Customer Choice
Customers will have:
•Freedom to download their favorite apps
• Various payment options
•Can choose extent of relationship with Verizon:No "equipment contracts or early termination fees"
The timeline is impressively brisk: "Open for Business" by the second half of 2008, with a certification process in place by the end of this quarter.
They can't talk about enough about just how awesome Verizon's network is.
Hardware developers have a few ways to get their wares into your hands:
Retail Model: Developers on their own for advertising and distribution—Verizon will "activate" customers and get them onto the network "easily." They're also on the hook for most of the technical support. Data plans are totally separate from voice plans to accommodate data-only devices. Electronic bills only, no paper! Three pieces of hardware Verizon gives as "examples": Ruggedized PDA, digital camera with a wireless chip for transmitting photos from anywhere, and a gaming device.
Wholesale Model: Developer buys airtime and data plans from Verizon, then sells them to you. Electronic billing only. Example: Wireless home security (if case some enterprising thief cuts the phone line, it goes wireless).
Custom model coming later, for say, digital music devices. They're willing to offer up their 3 million song catalog. (!)
Certification for Developers: Simple enough: Build a device, submit it to Verizon for network certification, they send it back and the developer registers it.
Activation for You: You buy it at Best Buy or Wally World and activate it online. This is where they roadblock non-certified devices—if the serial number isn't on the certified list, it won't activate, and you can't take it on the network. If it's a wholesale deal, where you buy data from the devicemaker, they take care of all that for you. (Obviously.)
Verizon CTO on stage. Interesting, the IP-based "core network" will be the same even after it transitions to 4G—the shift to LTE is just changing RF. Promises to be really aggressive on 4G since their EV-DO push paid off.
Finally, The Specs and Certification
Requirements are layered from industry standards to Verizon Wireless-branded apps—open devices fall just above industry standards. "Specification is focused on essentials" for operating on the network without harming it. They'll go live today at 11:30am at their online portal for open development. 
There will be a fee for certification but they promise it'll be quick—just 4 weeks. It's pass/fail only. The more devices you send in, the quicker it'll be certified.
They won't specify the user experience at all—no more ugly red UI! Hurray!
If your device uses multiple wireless standards, like Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc.—they're all got to run at the same time without going wonky. LNP compliance is a must.
The Cert Process and Requirements
911 and location-based services are required. Data-only devices have to pick up the CDMA-2000 network.
Yep, four weeks from submission to cert—not too shabby at all. Developers have to register with Verizon. Certification is not good for life. Devices have to be re-approved every 36 months.
If your radio module isn't FCC-approved already, "don't bring it to our labs." So the 4-week cert process DOES NOT include dealing w/ the FCC. "Bring to us quality devices ready to pass on the first go."
Whoa, hold it! Four weeks is for certification. After the four-week cert, then it has another two weeks of "infrastructure interop testing," like with Alcatel-Lucent, and then another two weeks of field interoperability testing. So you're looking at eight weeks of Verizon testing, really.
Talking about where they've seen potential for innovation, Verizon CEO mentions the 700Mhz spectrum. Yep, they probably won it.
And that's it for the keynote!
Comments
So does this mean I would finally be able to use phones from other CDMA providers (ie altell or sprint) as a Verizon customer?
Yes.
Did they say anything about LTE
So let me get this straight. You now can use any device with any software on it aslong a it supports their network. Isn't that basically what at&t does?
As long as your phone is unlocked you can activate service with at&t without a contract since you aren't purchasing a device and at&t never restricted applications on the device (I have tons of "unoffical" apps on my tilt).
Unless they go GSM, this still is pretty restrictive to the consumer since there really aren't as many CDMA devices made as their are GSM.
@EGBTMagus: that may be true, but i'm sure they are hoping that more devices will be built to work with their CDMA network since it is becoming more open. before, companies wouldn't build devices (i suppose they are suggesting) because the official official Verizon certification process was too complex or expensive.
CDMA blows compared to GSM, I want a sim card dammit!
Does this mean they will go back and enable gps on my Blackberry 8830 that they disabled because of "security reasons" (read that so they could sell VZNav)
So would, say, an iPhone, work with the Verizon network now?
so does this mean all Apple needs to do is put a different radio into the iPhone and it will work on verizons network? Please? I don't want to wait a year and a half or pay the early termination fee.
Apple would have to put in a CDMA radio in the iPhone to make it work on Verizon. However, AT&T has a exclusive contract with Apple for like 5 years I think so there won''t be a CDMA iPhone for awhile.
CDMA has some good advantages over GSM besides the sim card thing. With open access, that basicly gives CDMA phones a "sim card" way of activating-ish.
@surfer88: no Verizon CDMA mostly
At&T and Iphone are GSM
finally Verizon doing something right...thank god.
@xxdesmus: I wouldn't be too happy. The prices of their service is still the highest in the industry.
@ViperBorg: It'll be ok there is a price war brewing soon, with Sprint trying to undercut everyone else. It should work out well.
I especially like the "Proprietary and Confidential information of Verizon Wireless" tag on the bottom of the slides.
So this is just an MVNO for other devices? Say it how they will this is not about being "open", this is not about moving to a utility model...it is just another MVNO model. It may work very well for them, but call it what it is.
!ViperBorg: well, that's the price you pay for having all of those people following you around.
So will they unlock devices they sell to work on other CDMA networks? Since Sprint will unlock your phone, so you can take it to Verizon...will they unlock a Verizon phone to be ported to Sprint. Sprint has taken the open to all CDMA devices stance but other carriers are not unlocking phones so customers could even try.
@ViperBorg: Agreed. All this great openness and I still need to shell out a minimum of $100/month to get unlimited data?
The future of wireless is not in who can put out the coolest, most open phone but who can offer the most competitive pricing plan.
MVNOs were subject to the same strict requirements that all retail devices were subject to. This appears much different.
@EGBTMagus: Be happy you got something. I'd rather get happy over having a better phone than verizon's restricted line up.
And that means that all you verizon users can get the Sprint Mogul instead of having to wait for the verizon version.
Now what everyone isnt looking at is that verizon isnt going to give you insurance on your new phone and you're not going to get a mail in rebate.
I know how everyone is so cheap when it comes to buying high end phones so i suggest that you should really take a look at what you're buying before jumping into it without knowing whats gonna happen.
@awesomerobot: It would be nice if they would stay outside. I don't like showering with an audience.
@tubby17: Exactly. If service A is comparable to service B, but service A costs less, guess where I'm going? That's right! Service A!
You gotta love the retail activation flowchart. Exactly how does the filing cabinet communicate with your laptop?
@ViperBorg: Unless service A has horrible service within my house and the usual places that I have my phone. Then there really isn't a choice.
@combat chuck: Wireless USB
@ViperBorg: Yup. I still maintain that perhaps the most revolutionary thing Jobs did with respect to the iphone was to convince AT&T to offer the data service for only an extra $20 a month. That's compared to Verizon's VCast faux-internet for $15/month or the real data plan for $60/month. I just don't think the iphone would have sold as well (despite it's technological bells and whistles) if it required a service plan of over $100/month for voice and data.
Deploy FIoS to more cities. That is all.
@TechnoElf: Right. I agree, but perhaps I wasn't very clear. What I meant was if it works everywhere you need it to, and the speed is the same (or not so much of a difference that it would matter) then I'll kick over to the less expensive one.
@tubby17: Agreed.
Clarification please.. Even if someone purchases an Iphone to be used with Verizon, will it still function completely? When there is an update, would the unlocked Iphone need to be reset again? I agree that the prices offered by At&T are better then the Verizon "information/data" plan.
With the contract Apple and AT&T have, I do not see the potential until the contract is up. That is why Verizon came out with the Verizon "Iphone" or Venus from LG. I have been thinking about leaving Verizon as my contract is up soon. Any information would be greatly appreciated. Thank you.
@tubby17: The data plan may be only $20 a month, however the iPhone through AT&T is not a 3G device and therefor shouldn't be compared to the $60 data plan through verizon which is EVDO/3G speed if not faster than the comparible 3G AT&T offers on such device that support it.
@ViperBorg: Yeah, all things equal no doubt. Prices for wireless are racing to the bottom though. So all will be well soon enough.
@tubby17 Verizon's unlimited data service is 45/month, not 60. Too much either way though.
I think the open application is in response to how bad verizon gimps their phones. I have a V9 and my friend has the V9 from verizon and he can't do anything with it. No file transfers or even customer ringtones. Only thing he has better is that his has GPS built in (due to verizons network).
@EGBTMagus: And sorry, but in my opinion, GPS alone is not worth giving up everything else, not to mention paying more to do so.
I dont see what the big deal is. No contract/ETF activations and open networks to other GSM phones have been Cingular/ at&t's policy for quite a while now.
So the utopian google nationwide network dream is over then huh. :(
@olternaut: If they decide to piggyback off of Verizon's network, they could still do it.
Quite frankly, I don't know why anyone seriously thought they were going to engage in building something that extravagant anyway. As long as they have access to what other people are using, why go through all the trouble? I mean, everything Google has is beta; unfortunately for them, people won't accept beta when they have to start paying.
@shaniac: Sprint's open stance doesn't really mean anything. CDMA phones aren't really locked to begin with and they still won't activate a non-sprint-branded compatible CDMA phone on their network.
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