Some highlights of Lowell McAdam from the article:

[Verizon Wireless's] [...]]]>
BusinessWeek’s article, Verizon Embraces Google’s Android, discusses the sudden shift in Verizon Wireless’s business model, from tightly restricted to an open-access network, and how Google’s Android helped facilitate this shift. The article details how the open movement at the company was spearheaded by CEO Lowell McAdam.

Some highlights of Lowell McAdam from the article:

[Verizon Wireless's] surprise embrace of an open-access model and of the Android software culminates a dramatic yearlong evolution in the company’s thinking. The effort, championed by McAdam, involved meetings with the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission and late-night bull sessions with the top two executives at Verizon Communications, which owns Verizon Wireless in partnership with Vodafone.

McAdam was more amenable to shifting gears thanks to time spent during the 1990s in Europe and Asia, where the wireless industry is more of a free-for-all. …[he] says he was impressed that European and Asian mobile carriers backed technologies that allow subscribers to switch to rivals with ease.

The BusinessWeek article goes on to discuss how the open-access move could help reduce Verizon’s costs and help to combat market saturation in the US. The upcoming FCC wireless spectrum auction is also covered. Particularly, how the auction (and lobbying from Google and other tech companies for open-access) got McAdam to consider that a move to an open-access business model was necessary.

According to McAdam, Android was the final key influence in Verizon adopting an open-access business model. This is, of course, why Verizon is now “embracing” the Android platform. However, when Google first announced the release of Android, Verizon (along with AT&T) were absent from the press release. According to McAdam, the reason they did not sign on and support Android from the beginning is two-fold, “To get into that press release really didn’t do anything [for Verizon]…We needed to understand the details of that operating system.”

As I mentioned in my previous VZW open-access post, Verizon’s new open initiative will offer increased flexibility for VZW’s customers by allowing them to choose between VZW’s full service offering or going with a third party device and mobile applications. It was clear to me at the time of my previous post that “These innovative [third party] mobile web applications will initially be developed through the Android Open Handset Alliance.” McAdam also sees the potential in the Android Platform by saying, “Clearly the Android system gives a lot of developers the opportunity to develop applications for a wide range of handsets.” Clearly, if a lot of developers start developing applications, we are bound to get at least a few very innovative and useful applications from Android. Right? I can’t wait to see how much the US wireless market changes in the next few years.

Today Verizon Wireless announced a new open development initiative aimed at accelerating innovation and growth in the wireless market.

Verizon Wireless today announced that it will provide customers the option to use, on its nationwide wireless network, wireless devices, software and applications not offered by the company. Verizon Wireless plans to have this new choice available [...]]]>

Today Verizon Wireless announced a new open development initiative aimed at accelerating innovation and growth in the wireless market.

Verizon Wireless today announced that it will provide customers the option to use, on its nationwide wireless network, wireless devices, software and applications not offered by the company. Verizon Wireless plans to have this new choice available to customers throughout the country by the end of 2008.

Obviously, Verizon Wireless is feeling some pressure from the imminent arrival of Google in the wireless arena. This is a great decision by Verizon Wireless, because the decision makers at VZW had the foresight to see that fighting Google (and any potential partners) would be a losing proposition. In the long run they would simply lose subscribers looking for more device options and innovative mobile software and applications.

By giving their customers the choice of “bring-your-own” device service, Verizon Wireless is offering the best of both worlds. Customers bringing their own devices can enjoy the coverage and reliability of Verizon Wireless’s network, while also being able to pick and choose what software and applications they want to use. This option also offers a lot of flexibility and adaptability for business customers and mobile web users. These customers will be able to install and use the specific mobile applications they need to transact business and carry out other online activities that couldn’t be performed on a mobile device before. These innovative mobile web applications will initially be developed through the Android Open Handset Alliance.

The only question I have is “I wonder how long it would have taken Verizon to open up like this if Google had not made the move into the wireless market?”