Perhaps we should’ve seen it coming, but the news that Verizon Wireless is - in sentiment if not in certificate - signing up to the Open Handset Alliance still registers as something of a surprise.  The carrier, which hinted at its open-access intentions earlier this month by announcing that it would allow non-Verizon-designed devices to use its network from 2008 (and was, from some quarters at least, roundly criticised for “paying lip-service” to the newly fashionable concept), has gone one further and called Android “an enabler of what we do.”

CEO Lowell McAdam broke the news that, what was previously the most closed of the US operators, would now use Android with a rejoinder to sceptics that open-access has been brewing at Verizon for the past twelve months.  He cites his experience at European and Asian networks, and the positive effect he saw of customers being able to move devices in-between companies, as a primary reason for pushing for the relaxed boundaries.  Devices will still need to satisfy initial checks but the onus for compatibility will be left with manufacturers and developers rather than Verizon itself; similarly, the customer service remit will change from the in-depth support offered for users of the network’s core range to handset or application providers.

It’s a move that could benefit Verizon in a number of ways: not only would they be free from subsidising, supporting and developing new and niche handsets and cellular-enabled devices, they also stand to reap the benefits of what are expected to be high data consumption.  The quality of individual handsets too should increase, as producers choose to adopt the rigorously-planned Android platform by virtue of its open-source flexibility and lack of licencing costs.  Verizon’s own engineers have examined the toolkit themselves, and come away not only impressed but also satisfied at its compatibility and security.

“Clearly the Android system gives a lot of developers the opportunity to develop applications for a wide range of handsets” Lowell McAdam, CEO Verizon Wireless

Ironically, without some gesture toward both open-access and Android support, Verizon may not have seen much in the way of new devices using the platform accessing its network.  With CDMA being in the global minority compared to GSM, and LTE (Long Term Evolution, or the shift to high-speed access via UMTS/HSDPA-type standards) being viewed as the natural successor (even Verizon are planning dual-mode handsets and network support) for next-gen networks, the company risked being left outside of the loop as developers built new, Android-powered models for GSM-based rivals.