Verizon to allow customers use compatible device on its network

Mumbai: Verizon Wireless would allow customers to use any compatible device or software on its network, by late 2008, the company said.

The mobile operator is responding to growing pressure on the cellphone industry to give its customers freedom in how they use their phones. Consumer groups, federal regulators and software developers have lobbied wireless carriers to allow more devices and applications to function on their networks.

At present, carriers decide which phones and features will be available to customers.

The move is an about-face for the USA''s second-largest wireless carrier, which had vigorously resisted the change. By the end of next year, consumers will be able to connect to its network using any device that is compatible with its technology. But Apple''s iPhone will not work on the network, because it runs on a different standard.

Third-party software developers will also be able to sell their applications directly to consumers without getting permission from the carrier. Verizon says this will help it keep up with consumer demand for new features.
 
The wireless industry is now moving to a model similar to that of the internet, where users can access and download whatever they choose, analysts say. The US Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has said the winning bidder on a large slice of spectrum to be auctioned off in January will have to build a network that allows use of any device or application.

Google announced earlier this month that it is partnering with developers, handset makers and carriers, including T-Mobile and Sprint Nextel, to offer a more open system.

Verizon Wireless said it would publish technical standards by early next year to help developers design software for the network. The company''s labs will receive an additional $20 million in investment, and charge a fee to test outside devices to make sure they are compatible with its technology. But Verizon will not accept phones sold by T-Mobile and AT&T, including the iPhone, because they use a different technical standard.

Analysts say Verizon Wireless''s plan is a minimalist compromise that satisfies the FCC''s auction requirements without giving up as much control as Google''s new system would require. The company will continue selling phones, and the ''bring-your-own-phone'' will be mainly for customers who want to switch to a new service provider without having to buy a new phone.

But the new policy also opens the network to a host of devices like video game consoles, digital cameras and home appliances equipped with special chips, a system similar to Sprint''s proposed WiMax network and T-Mobile''s planned WiFi-enabled service.

FCC chairman Kevin J Martin and chairman of the House subcommittee in charge of telecommunications issues Rep Edward J Markey have praised the announcement as a victory for consumers. But some consumer groups say it''s too limited to bring real change. They say that Verizon''s ''testing'' still gives it control over which phones and applications can work on its network, and customers could end up paying more to use outside products.