This week Verizon Wireless made a move that sounds oddly like its own "Open Handset Alliance," without actually joining the Google-headed alliance itself. In an announcement made Tuesday, the carrier stated that it would open its nationwide wireless network to software and wireless devices that Verizon Wireless does not offer to consumers.

 

While we agree it's a move in the right direction, especially considering the strict standards wireless carriers enforce, the announcement does come with a small catch. Your device and/or software will have to meet preset technical standards, which Verizon Wireless will publish in 2008. Further, devices will need to be tested and approved in Verizon Wireless' own $20-million testing facility.

 

Once the standards are published, though, Verizon Wireless plans to meet with developers to discuss what it expects in terms of network performance and how it can make it easy for developers to submit hardware and software that meets Verizon's standards.

 

One specification that seems to be certain is that the phones must run on CDMA technology. The only other major carrier using CDMA right now is Sprint. It also appears that once you own one of the outside cell phones, you'll be considered a "bring-your-own" customer and not necessarily a "full-service" one.

 

A "bring-your-own" customer likely isn't going to see the two-year contract discounts or immediate online discounts that Verizon Wireless usually offers for phones, which means the phones will probably be more expensive. In addition, software such as V Cast TV or V CAST Music likely will not be available on external phones, which for some, is an added bonus to the user experience.

 

Still, for many users, the ability to have custom software and hardware (providing that it meets Verizon Wireless' standards) could be worth the premium of buying a phone outside Verizon Wireless' store walls. Those who aren't interested in doing this will still be able to continue using and purchasing phones from Verizon Wireless stores. We'll be keeping an eye on this initiative as it comes closer to being a reality.