Verizon releases open mobile access specs

Verizon Wireless today revealed the technical requirements that device makers will have to meet to connect to its open-access network, including specifications for data speeds, mobile security and wireless connectivity.

The specifications were released as part of Verizon's Open Development Initiative (ODI), which the company has launched to entice more device manufacturers and mobile application developers to create products to connect to Verizon's open-access network. (The full specs for Verizon's Open Development Initiative can be downloaded from its Web site.) Last year, the company announced that it would give its customers an open-access service option that would let them connect to the Verizon network using third-party devices.

Verizon Wireless CTO Tony Melone said today that while the company's first priority in approving new third-party devices is to protect its network and its customers, its specifications for third-party devices are based on industry standards and aren't any more rigorous than the specs Verizon uses to approve its own devices. Melone also said Verizon Wireless would be active in providing technical advice and support to developers who have difficulty meeting the network specs, because "we can't put ourselves in a framework where all we do is stamp 'pass' or 'fail'" on new devices.

Third-party developers who want to have their device approved to connect to the network will have to go through a relatively simple certification process that the company says will take about four weeks in total. Essentially, developers will have to submit their device to a Verizon-approved testing lab that will perform signaling conformance and feature validation tests. If the device meets Verizon's specs, it will be forwarded to the ODI for approval. If the ODI certifies the device, it will be approved to connect to the network for three years before the carrier will require that it be retested.

The company says prior to submitting their devices for certification, developers should ensure that their device's radio frequency units have been approved by the FCC and given an FCC grantee ID and product code. Additionally, developers will have to submit their devices to an extra month of interoperability testing after getting certified by the ODI. Verizon says it plans to have its certification process up and running by the end of the second quarter this year.

Looking at the big picture, Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam said today that Verizon's decision to open its network to third-party developers was a reflection of how increased mobile bandwidth capabilities had sparked demand for mobile applications and capabilities that had previously only been available to desktop computers.

"When we announced this initiative in November, we saw a great opportunity to tap into the innovation you see occurring on the desktop today," he said. "As we saw broadband speeds rise on our network, we saw what I refer to as a tidal wave of innovation that wants to come over to the mobile side. I think tapping this innovation is great for customers, and it's very good for the bottom line for Verizon Wireless."