Can Vanu Put the Open in Verizon's Open Network?

In today's Boston Globe, Carolyn Johnson makes a compelling case that Verizon's (VZ) decision to adopt an open network strategy may be just what Boston-based software radio company Vanu needs to gain acceptance by a major US carrier.

Over the past decade, Vanu has developed what seems like a fairly esoteric technology - software that can control how a radio transmits and receives signals. That means a single base station at the bottom of a cell tower could be tuned for everything from an AT&T (T) iPhone to a Verizon Wireless cellphone, instead of requiring separate racks of hardware.

With the traditional cellphone model in the United States beginning to crumble, the moment may be emerging for Vanu's technology.

I was pleased to see such a thoughtful technology piece in the Globe, whose technology coverage tends to play second fiddle to many authors at its parent company, The New York Times. And it's a nice tribute to Vanu and Vanu Bose, whom I have mentioned before as being as visionary and a person to watch. Plus, Vanu would fit nicely in with Verizon's V-initialed branding.

Meanwhile, there's commentary on Techcrunch that suggests that Verizon may not give all handsets and software access to its traditional subscribers who buy only Verizon-approved devices. Somehow that rings true to me -- the Verizon announcement and subsequent commentary sounded way too good to believe.