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Last updated: Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Over the past year, there’s been a lot of lip service in the mobile-phone industry about making our wireless networks “open.” The idea, consumer and open network access advocates have argued, is that open networks would let consumers buy any mobile device from any source and run it on any network. This is especially important in the U.S., where handsets work on a particular network — CDMA from Verizon Wireless and Sprint Nextel or GSM from AT&T. Under most circumstances, your device remains closely controlled by your carrier of choice. But in recent months, carriers including Verizon Wireless and AT&T have announced their intention to make “openness” a part of their strategy going forward. It’s a great idea in theory. Yet the question remains whether we are achieving, or even moving toward, open wireless access. Are the carriers just creating a PR campaign, spinning their brand of openness for the benefit of consumers and regulators? Well, for right now at least, the claim of achieving openness is dubious at best. The industry has a long way to go before it’s anywhere near open. Carriers still heavily control their networks and don’t appear to be willing to give up that control anytime soon. A device manufacturer can’t just launch a new wireless product without carrier approval and extensive testing. A Drag on Innovation While carriers say this limits any risk of network problems from badly designed products, it also significantly limits the ability of wireless vendors to innovate and offer compelling new products and services. The test and approval cycle is long, and it has to be performed for each individual carrier — not just for each of the two major network types. Imagine if vendors of PC hardware and software had to test and get approval for each brand and model of PC! That would…

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Open, Schmopen: Wireless Networks Are Still Closed

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