WhyDom

There has been a great deal of talk about open mobile applications, devices and access since last year’s FCC 700Mhz auction order for open mobile devices.  The open  mobile proposal was teed up by Google as a requirement for the successful bidder of the 700Mhz C Block.   The C Block covered the nation with a single spectrum license for a future 4G network.   Google’s open mobile proposal was analogized to the famous FCC 1968 Carterfone case which held that Ma Bell could not prohibit customers from using non-Bell devices, as long as the devices met FCC standards to prevent damage.   As an aside, the cool part of the Carterfone analogy to the mobile industry is that the Carterfone device connected a mobile radio to a wireline telephone allowing a 2-way conversation without the caller having to push “talk” like the radio user.   

The open mobile idea is simple:  if the cell phone device or application does not damage the network then it can not be blocked.   Just as in the days of Carterfone when Ma Bell engineers and “sales” folks leasing these devices for several dollars a month claimed that new devices would damage the network or lead to fraud,  major wireless carriers today have similar fears: loss of subscription (like texting) revenue and advertising revenue from losing control of the handset, possible fraud activities, and network damage.

The 2007 FCC’s C Block license order detailed the open mobile requirement:

[W]e will require [C Block] licensees  to allow customers, device manufacturers, third-party application developers, and others to use or develop the devices and applications of their choice, subject to certain conditions such as arrangements regarding open platforms for devices and applications to the benefit of consumers —that will go along with that innovation.  As a result, in light of the evidence suggesting that wireless service providers are blocking or degrading consumer-chosen hardware and applications without an appropriate justification, we believe that it is appropriate to take a measured step to encourage additional innovation and consumer choice at this critical stage in the evolution of wireless broadband services, by removing some of the barriers that developers and handset/device manufacturers face in bringing new products to market.

In the spirit of seeking to make open mobile devices and applications happen smoothly without unnecessary blocking, the FCC imposed specific open mobile rules:

   1.    No Blocking of Applications  Carriers  will not be allowed to disable features or functionality in handsets except for reasonable network management.

   2.   Devices Using Other Spectrum like WiFI If the device uses other wireless spectrum bands, it may not be blocked.

   3.    Certification Standards to Protect the Network  Certification standards may be used as long as they are confined to “reasonable network management.”

   4.   Open Certification Standards Standards will be non-proprietary and will be no more restrictive than those applied to the provider’s preferred vendors.

   5.  No Additional Charges for Open  Carriers can not impose charges (one-time or recurring) or conditions on customers using open devices or applications .

When the FCC issued the C Block open mobile 700Mhz auction rules in  2007, Verizon filed an action in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. seeking to remove the requirements.   However, on October 24, 2007 , Verizon Wireless withdrew the lawsuit and on November 27, 2007, Verizon announced its Open  Development Initiative and stated that Google’s Android would be allowed on the Verizon network.   It was not clear whether the Verizon Open Development Initiative was related giving up on the appeal of the FCC’s 700Mhz auction order, but the two events did occur within a month of each other.   Verizon Wireless, as we all know, won the C Block license auction in 2008 but the rollout of the 700 MHz spectrum will not happen for several years.   In the meantime, open mobile is moving forward on its own. 

In March 2008, good to its word, Verizon held an Open Development conference.   At CITA last month, Verizon announced that two devices had been approved by the Open Development program.   These Verizon devices were M2M (machine-to-machine) type mobile devices used for tracking people and a M2M modem.  These devices are not made for the typical consumer, do not have voice capacity, and do not have browsers.    Why Verizon’s Open Development effort did not result in a voice device with open applications is unknown.   M2M device approval is nothing new.   AT&T/Cingular has been certifying M2M devices and applications for more than 15 years through the AT&T devCentral program.  The M2M devices such as those certified by for companies like NumereX either use the old analog TDM signaling channel or the new digital GSM channel for sending small amounts of data through the network.   The M2M devices include wireless alarms and tracking  devices for containers, bulldozers, trucks, and people.     GSM and FCC approval requiring extensive laboratory certification are required.  We all know that Verizon’s Open Development program was not initiated for M2M but the results are M2M – not an Android type device.

All year Google kept us in suspense with Android, with many wondering if Android was all talk and no action.   Then last month, in a truly evolutionary moment, Google unveiled its new T-Mobile Android phone in London.  Android is really amazing because it is the first phone that is open to any application created by any developer at no cost with no certification.    It is a pleasure to see that Google is clearly serious about the open mobile initiative it proposed before the FCC in 2007.   And the results – the various Android applications  — are very cool.

Take  look at this Google Android video.