Carrier moves on open access, P2P indicative of shift in attitudes

Carriers’ turnaround could be shape of things to come

When telecom historians look back on the events of 2007, they may well see them as the carriers' last stand against opening up their networks.

After all, it was just six months ago that Verizon unsuccessfully sued the FCC in an attempt to overturn the open-access rules it had placed on a portion of the 700MHz spectrum auction.  Fast forward to today, and Verizon has won the very auction that it had tried to thwart.

But Verizon's shift on the 700MHz auction isn't the only step it's taken toward further opening up its network. This week, the carrier released technical specifications that third-party developers need to meet to connect their devices to its open-access network. 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. Last year, the company announced 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 this week that while the company's first priority in approving new third-party devices is to protect its network and its customers, its specifications for these devices are based on industry standards and aren't any more rigorous than the specifications 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 specifications, because "we can't put ourselves in a framework where all we do is stamp 'pass' or 'fail'" on new devices.

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When telecom historians look back on the events of 2007, they may well see them as the carriers' last stand against opening up their networks.

After all, it was just six months ago that Verizon unsuccessfully sued the FCC in an attempt to overturn the open-access rules it had placed on a portion of the 700MHz spectrum auction.  Fast forward to today, and Verizon has won the very auction that it had tried to thwart.

But Verizon's shift on the 700MHz auction isn't the only step it's taken toward further opening up its network. This week, the carrier released technical specifications that third-party developers need to meet to connect their devices to its open-access network. 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. Last year, the company announced 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 this week that while the company's first priority in approving new third-party devices is to protect its network and its customers, its specifications for these devices are based on industry standards and aren't any more rigorous than the specifications 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 specifications, because "we can't put ourselves in a framework where all we do is stamp 'pass' or 'fail'" on new devices.

Verizon's move toward an open-access option comes at a time when more American carriers have warmed to allowing third-party devices and applications to connect to their networks. Last year, T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel joined the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), a multinational group with more than 30 members dedicated to promoting Google's Android open-access mobile platform initiative. The idea behind the platform, according to the OHA, is to spur innovation in developing mobile applications that will give users the same experience surfing the Web on their phone as they have on their desktop computers. And while AT&T has yet to open up its network in the same way that Verizon has, it soon will support a host of new third-party mobile applications due to Apple's recently-released iPhone software development kit.  

The carriers' moves toward openness are a big victory for Google, which has taken several measures to push for more open wireless networks. Google made no secret of its desire to use Android as a carrot to entice more carriers into allowing third-party devices on their networks, for instance, and the company was one of the chief lobbyists behind the effort to get the FCC to place open-access rules on the 700MHz spectrum auction.

Mike Jude, a senior analyst at Nemertes Research, told Network World last year that the FCC's decision to promote open access in a portion of the 700MHz auction and Google's open Android platform were two key factors in Verizon's change in attitude toward open access, because it didn't want its competitors to gain a market advantage by offering more dynamic service packages. Jude also thinks Verizon's decision to open up was a clever way to head off any future FCC action to impose network neutrality by providing the commission with its own model of an open-access network that is more favorable to its interests. Gartner analyst Tole Hart shares Jude's view that open-access moves by competitors have placed pressure on the big carriers to open up, and thinks that there are still more open-access dominoes yet to fall.