There is so much blogfodder today and yet it's all already been blogged to death. Instead of working on taxes, I suppose I should've been staying on top of these vital issues, but I didn't, so there you go. I do want to add my voice to this news item, however.
Verizon won a chunk of the C block in the 700 MHz auction.
Stop yawning. This is important.
Cell services use radio frequencies. Cell services are growing -- bandwidth, speed etc. becomes increasingly important to cell service providers as more users crank up the texting, web browsing, music and video downloads, etc. We old farts mostly sneer "who would want to watch a tv show on a microscopic sized screen" but we forget that we used to be able to see and hear things our parents couldn't when we were young and fresh. People are even mo-blogging -- using their mobile devices to snap photos, take video, and upload those with content to their blogs all from their phones. They really would like it if their cell phone -- and I use the term "phone" very loosely at this point -- responded much the way their broadband connection at home does.
This is why bandwidth and spectrum is important to the carriers, so when the old analog television signals are shut down in 2009, the cell carriers want to be ready to move in and take over those frequencies, stringing up their very thick strings and very heavy duty paper cups.
So the very big deal about this is that the big cell carriers -- the Verizons, AT&Ts, Sprints, et al. tend to be proprietary about who they let onto "their" network. Sign a two year contract, you get roped into using the equipment they pre-chose, and the features and software they permit. A person buying a Moto Q9m Smartphone cannot use the built-in GPS receiver, because Verizon disabled it. The owners of the Q9h on AT&T or the Q9c on Sprint can use it. Similarly, it's extremely difficult to install your own ringtones on Verizon phones because Verizon would really rather you purchased your ringtones over the air from the vendors they have contracts with. They make it difficult for you to use the phone the way you want to. As well, you can't use an iPhone on a Sprint network, or take your Treo from Verizon to use it when you sign up with Alltel. The list goes on.
Some of this is because of differences in the technology behind the phones themselves CDMA versus GSM), but moving forward that will be less of an issue as most carriers upgrade their networks to take advantage of improvements that will make the cellular network as broadband and high speed as you experience with your computer, nearly. They're almost all converging on the same technology, known as LTE, or Long Term Evolution.
Of course most of you have read or heard that this 700 MHz block has strings attached -- Google and a variety of "free the airwaves" consortia successfully lobbied the FCC to put rules into place for the use of this spectrum: they had to be open. The providers who win blocks in these chunks of the airwaves have to build up networks that permit the end users free choice of phones, and the ability to load whatever software they wish on them (i.e. whatever software is available for the phone).
This is good news, but I'm a bit skeptical. Of all the players, Verizon has been the most oppressive when it comes to what the end user may or may not do, and the most vocal against regulations requiring an open network. Verizon has one of the best networks around, and a lot of that is due to the constraints the carrier has placed on its equipment and the devices that connect to it.
While some of the limitations are because the carrier wants to maximize its profits, many of them are designed to keep things working flawlessly. The more variety you have in devices, the more blue screens of death you are likely to encounter. The more hacking, the more difficult it will be to maintain system connectivity.
I seriously doubt Verizon will honor the open-network concept in the way the Googles and the free media advocates envisioned. They will comply with the letter of the law, of course, but will find ways to continue to be kings of the cellwaves. It will be interesting to see how it plays out. Me, I envision vast armies of lawyers sharpening the stubs antennas of their Blackberries as they ready themselves for many a suit and countersuit in the Spectrum Compliance Wars to come.
Leroy Jethro Gibbs is my favoritest television show character of all time. He's an asshole with a heart of gold, much beloved of his team in spite of whacking 'em upside the head and scolding "NEVER apologize! It's a sign of weakness."
whoozTalkin?