When did Verizon Wireless join the Open Handset Alliance?

Did Verizon Wireless jump on the Android-fueled bandwagon that is the Open Handset Alliance (OHA) while we weren’t looking? Well, we can’t find any official sources that would confirm Verizon’s membership as part of the OHA – but Gene Munster, a Piper Jaffray analyst recently released a note to clients that mentioned Verizon as being a member of the OHA.

Now, we’re not sure if Mr. Munster was just a bit confused – which isn’t all that unlikely, seeing as how Verizon’s recently announced plan to open their network to “any app, any device” in 2008 vibes pretty closely with the Android-supporting OHA’s open-platform mantra. On the other hand, Munster could be privy to insider information about Verizon’s intention to join the OHA.

It would make sense for Verizon to join the OHA – as we speculated might happen – seeing as how their new network policy isn’t more than a philosophical stone’s throw from the OHA’s own guidelines. And, the move would make even more sense with Sprint and T-Mobile’s membership and AT&T consideration in joining the alliance. We can’t imagine that Verizon would remain an OHA outlier if AT&T decides to make the jump and hop on-board the alliance – conversely, if Verizon decides to join the OHA, it’s more than likely that Verizon would follow suit. Can any US carrier expect to stay competitive as the singular non-OHA compliant wireless operator? Highly doubtful. Come and join the party, guys, everyone’s doing it.

[Via: Apple Insider]