When it comes to cellular networks, “open” is clearly the new black. Hot on the heels of the recent announcement that Verizon would open its network to third-party devices and applications, Verizon Wireless CEO Lowell McAdam told BusinessWeek that Google’s open-source mobile operating system, codenamed Android, is part of the company’s future.
“We’re planning on using Android,” Lowell was quoted as saying. “Android is an enabler of what we do.”
Phillip Redman, research vice president, mobile and wireless telecommunications for Gartner, said he believes that the announcement is consistent with Verizon Wireless’s overall efforts to broaden its network.
“I think they’re open to whatever could be popular on their network,” Redman said. “They’ve been criticized in the past for being too closed, so they’re trying to change that. It’s early yet to know how they want this to develop, but I think they like the idea of working with Google.”
No Set Plans for Android
Beyond his provocative statement to BusinessWeek, Lowell offered no specifics about how Verizon Wireless might use the new operating system or integrate it into the company’s own handsets and applications.
Last month, when Google announced the new operating system and the Open Handset Alliance (OHA), a coalition of hardware and software manufacturers developing Android, Verizon Wireless was conspicuously absent.
According to Jim Gerace, a spokesperson for Verizon Wireless, no decision has been made as to whether Verizon will join the OHA. “We specifically did not say we were joining the OHA (we haven’t),” Gerace said, “but did say we are not ruling it out.” Gerace added that it was premature to discuss exactly how Verizon Wireless might use Android in the future.
Wide-Open Possibilities
Redman agreed that it is difficult to predict how Verizon Wireless or any cellular company might use Android. “There is still a lot of development to be done…