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To go along with their pledge of a more open network, Verizon is going to host an Open Development conference in March. This will give handset creators the opportunity to learn about the standards their devices will have to uphold in order to be accepted on the Verizon network. Some may question, then, if this is really “open.” I just think it’s a step in the right direction.

If you think about it, mandatory testing makes sense. Whether someone buys their phone from Verizon or from a third-party maker, they’re going to expect the same level of service realized by other Verizon customers. And if a certain device doesn’t live up to those standards, or otherwise causes harmful communication on the network, Verizon should have the right to reject it. Or at least send it back for necessary modifications.

This way, we get a larger selection of devices with varying features, and Verizon keeps their network running at their desired efficiency. Consumers are also guaranteed a certain level of quality in the third-party devices they purchase.

“This initial conference is for developers of devices — because before consumers can have open access, you have to have open development,” said [Anthony A.] Lewis, [vice president of the Open Development initiative]. “In hosting this conference, our aim is to jump start the development community by sharing information needed to develop devices for our network that achieve our network performance goals while making it easy for them to deliver devices.”

Unfortunately, it appears that this conference will not be for third party application developers. Certainly, they’ll be held to a certain standard, too. But since their applications don’t have to go through rigorous lab testing, a conference might not be necessary.

[CNN Money]

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