Verizon Wireless Preps 'Open Access' Tier Though consumer choice will likely come at a premium... Monday Feb 25 2008 17:07 EDT Verizon Wireless has announced that they'll be showing off version 1.0 technical specs for their new "Any Device, Any App network-only service option" at their conference on March 19. In essence Verizon will be charging you a premium to use any CDMA device and any application on their network, and they're working to get the development tools and device testing/approval procedures ironed out. Says the folks at big red: quote:
For consumers, the network-only option, which is expected to be available later this year, will provide the option to use these wireless devices and new applications not offered directly by Verizon Wireless. Verizon Wireless’ Open Development initiative is driven by the company’s desire to encourage innovation, give customers new wireless choices, and quickly address opportunities to expand the wireless market.
Of course that free choice won't come as a standard option, but at a premium. While Verizon's initial announcement about their open-access plan was lauded as the greatest thing since the Hayes compatible, the move so far is more marketing than substance. If we know Verizon, this "open access" plan will be bill-by-the-byte -- so how exciting the tier is depends largely on what kind of pricing the carrier implements. |
1 recommendation |
VerizonSucks | |
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dwang5
Member
2008-Feb-25 5:34 pm
more hype than substanceI agree, this is more marketing than anything else. Its not going to change anything.
There needs to be a new entrant into the wireless market to shake things up.
Something like when google decided to offer unlimited email storage.
Before then, yahoo and microsoft were content to give you 15 megs of free email storage.
Once google came into the picture, they all had to change. | |
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what a opportunityI can't wait for my chance to have a $50,000 bill. No thanks | |
|  |  davoice
join:2000-08-12
Saxapahaw, NC |
Re: what a opportunityGotta pay for those new unlimited voice plans that just came out somehow. Surely they can't take a profit loss and continue to operate successfully. :P
}Davoice | |
| | NYC Girl
Premium Member
join:2007-02-04
Bronx, NY |
to lvlorpheus
said by lvlorpheus:I can't wait for my chance to have a $50,000 bill. No thanks Ha ha, funny but true | |
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1 recommendation |
translationwhat they say:
Verizon Wireless’ Open Development initiative is driven by the company’s desire to encourage innovation, give customers new wireless choices, and quickly address opportunities to expand the wireless market.
what they mean:
Verizon Wireless’ Open Development initiative is driven by the company’s unreasoning fear of becoming a commodity provider, the desire to squeeze a little more money out of any customers dumb enough to think this is a good deal, and to cut off any official attempt to open the wireless market. | |
| |  NOCManMadMacHatter
Premium Member
join:2004-09-30
Colorado Springs, CO |
NOCMan
Premium Member
2008-Feb-25 6:55 pm
Re: translationAnd that's any different than AT&T, T, Sprint? | |
| | |  joako
Premium Member
join:2000-09-07
/dev/null |
joako
Premium Member
2008-Feb-26 12:29 am
Re: translationsaid by NOCMan:And that's any different than AT&T, T, Sprint? AT&T uses GSM. There are no limits. You can use any device. | |
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 pnh102Reptiles Are Cuddly And Pretty
Premium Member
join:2002-05-02
Mount Airy, MD |
pnh102
Premium Member
2008-Feb-25 5:56 pm
Welcome to 1998!Well I suppose it is good that Verizon has finally jumped on the open access boat.  | |
| jfmezei
Premium Member
join:2007-01-03
Pointe-Claire, QC |
jfmezei
Premium Member
2008-Feb-26 1:41 am
CDMA not meant to be "open"Considering that CDMA technology is proprietary and never meant to be open, and considering it doesn't use a SIM card that allows customers to switch handsets without needing permission from the network, this scheme is going to be all talk and no action.
In the GSM world, someone can buy an unlocked handset and use it on any GSM network. The advantage is that the network does not have to pay any subsidy to acquire you as a customer since you are bringing in your own handset. So if the network is saving a few hundred dollars when it acquires you as a customer, it si silly for them to charge you more for the privilege of you not buying one of ther subsidized handsets. | |
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Re: CDMA not meant to be "open"said by jfmezei:Considering that CDMA technology is proprietary and never meant to be open, and considering it doesn't use a SIM card that allows customers to switch handsets without needing permission from the network, this scheme is going to be all talk and no action. In the GSM world, someone can buy an unlocked handset and use it on any GSM network. The advantage is that the network does not have to pay any subsidy to acquire you as a customer since you are bringing in your own handset. So if the network is saving a few hundred dollars when it acquires you as a customer, it si silly for them to charge you more for the privilege of you not buying one of ther subsidized handsets. CDMA does use a SIM-like card called a R-UIM. Sad no North American carrier uses it. | |
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Re: CDMA not meant to be "open"I believe Verizon will be switching to 4G GSM very soon. | |
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Re: CDMA not meant to be "open"said by Squirrelly:I believe Verizon will be switching to 4G GSM very soon. It won't be soon, LTE is 3 years away before mass deployment It won't fully replace CDMA for at least 5 years, maybe 10. Verizon may not use LTE for voice for a while, just data at first - maybe. Qualcomm is coming up with an LTE/CDMA combo chipset that will help the transition, but neither will be as open as WiMAX. WiMAX is an IEEE spec, allowing device makers to not be involved with carriers. LTE comes from 3GGP, controlled by the telcom industry. If Qualcomm successfully combines LTE/CDMA into a chipset and makes cellsites easy/cheap to upgrade, I wouldn't be surprised to see Sprint use LTE in the end as well (in addition to WiMAX). | |
| | | | cghh
join:2001-01-15
Milpitas, CA |
to Squirrelly
said by Squirrelly:I believe Verizon will be switching to 4G GSM very soon. LTE isn't GSM. It is something different from both GSM and CDMA. Many GSM providers are planning to migrate to LTE, as is CDMA provider Verizon Wireless, but with the OFDM air interface and IP back end, it is just as much a change for the GSM providers as it is for the CDMA providers. | |
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Squirrellydw
Anon
2008-Feb-26 7:30 pm
Re: CDMA not meant to be "open"said by cghh:said by Squirrelly:I believe Verizon will be switching to 4G GSM very soon. LTE isn't GSM. It is something different from both GSM and CDMA. Many GSM providers are planning to migrate to LTE, as is CDMA provider Verizon Wireless, but with the OFDM air interface and IP back end, it is just as much a change for the GSM providers as it is for the CDMA providers. OK, might not be GSM but I knew it was something like that. They will be starting the switch late this year, that I know for sure. It will start in the big cities and go outward. | |
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GSM copy catSo does this mean Verizon is allowing CDMA devices from Sprint, Alltel, and possibly other carriers outside of the US on their network, as long as a fee is paid? GSM doesn't charge you to do this as it is a matter of a SIM card and unlocking the phone. Make it free and maybe more people will have reason to switch. | |
| | cghh
join:2001-01-15
Milpitas, CA
3 edits |
cghh
Member
2008-Feb-26 1:10 pm
Re: GSM copy catsaid by KrazyDawg:So does this mean Verizon is allowing CDMA devices from Sprint, Alltel, and possibly other carriers outside of the US on their network, as long as a fee is paid? The device will have to pass some sort of "network compliance" test. Supposedly, they will only test for compliance with their CDMA network, not what applications the device runs, but some suspect that they will use this test to keep out "undesired" devices. But since the U.S. government requires e911 compliance, and VZW uses aGPS to satisfy this requirement, I think it is safe to say that no foreign phone will qualify. (GSM providers use a mechanism based on triangulation with cell sites to satisfy the location requirement of e911, so this is why they can accept foreign GSM phones and still satisfy the e911 requirement.) | |
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