Verizon Explains New Open Device Policy

[Ed Hansberry]

<div class='os_post_top_link'><a href='http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,2817,2277399,00.asp' target='_blank'>http://www.pcmag.com/article2/0,281...,2277399,00.asp</a><br /><br /></div><p><em>&quot;Customers will be allowed to connect to our network any device that meets minimal technical standards,&quot; said Verizon vice president of open development Tony Lewis. Those standards, as explained in surprisingly precise technical detail at the conference, aren't too obnoxious. Geeks seeking to activate non-Verizon phones on Verizon's network, though, will need to remember two things. First, those phones have to be CDMA - no European Nokia phones and no iPhones, which are all GSM. (GSM and CDMA are physically incompatible technologies, like AM and FM radio.) Second, the phones have to have Enhanced 911 connectivity to make emergency calls in the U.S. That means no high-end Korean or many foreign CDMA phones, which forgo the U.S emergency standard.&quot;</em></p><br /><p>Well, I'm not sure this will be as open as current GSM systems are where you only have to have a phone that is on the right frequency, and most geek devices are quad-band anyway, and it has to be unlocked. Just pop in your SIM and you are good to go. It seems with Verizon it will require a few more steps. The Enhanced 911 requirement seems to me to be a bit heavy handed and will block a lot of non-US destined phones. Still, for a CDMA provider, it is better than the past. Do you have a non-Verizon CDMA device you've been itching to get connected in the US?</p>

[JKingGrim]

Well it is a nice move and I hope this becomes a trend for all CDMA carriers, but it wont stop me from going GSM. Even if this happens, a wealth of cool CDMA devices aren't just going to start appearing out of nowhere. All the cool devices are still going to be GSM. And you can't beat popping in a SIM card.

VZW is following the GSM evolution path anyway. But since LTE is not a GSM based technology it does not need SIM cards. So if other GSM carriers continue to use SIM cards VZW may still not work with other 4G GSM phones anyway. Who knows what Verizon's future network will be like.

[Prosper]

Glad to be in Germany - GSM only :)

[Stinger]

But since LTE is not a GSM based technology it does not need SIM cards. So if other GSM carriers continue to use SIM cards VZW may still not work with other 4G GSM phones anyway. Who knows what Verizon's future network will be like.

LTE is a 3GPP standard. The air interface isn't the same as GSM but it still uses a lot of the same concepts as GSM, including SIM cards.

[Craig Horlacher]

I heard recently that in my area, near Harrisburg, PA, you can already use GSM phones on verizon. It surprised me. Has anyone else heard this? What's LTE and where does it fit in? Why is Verizon bothering with LTE if it's not GSM?

[JKingGrim]

LTE is a 3GPP standard. The air interface isn't the same as GSM but it still uses a lot of the same concepts as GSM, including SIM cards.Really? I have heard that the LTE standard that is developed will not require use of SIM cards. I hope they do use them.

I heard recently that in my area, near Harrisburg, PA, you can already use GSM phones on verizon. It surprised me. Has anyone else heard this? What's LTE and where does it fit in? Why is Verizon bothering with LTE if it's not GSM?LTE will be next in the GSM evelotion path (GPRS/GSM->UMTS/HSPA->LTE). It is 4G technology. LTE itself is not a standard, but it is the term used to describe 4G. The standard has not been finalized yet.

[AdamaDBrown]

I heard recently that in my area, near Harrisburg, PA, you can already use GSM phones on verizon. It surprised me. Has anyone else heard this? What's LTE and where does it fit in? Why is Verizon bothering with LTE if it's not GSM?

I think whoever told you that was mistaken. You can't use GSM phones on Verizon. Nor will you be able to even in a few years after they move to LTE, since current GSM phones aren't compatible.

The confusion may stem from the fact that Verizon recently bought out Unicel, which is a regional provider in the Northeast that owns some GSM networks.

Verizon is bothering with LTE because they don't want to go with WiMAX for a 4G network. LTE is the only other alternative that will offer speeds upwards of 20 megabits for a next-generation network.