Big wireless carriers get set to free the phone

It is a scenario rarely seen in today’s technology market: Cellphone customers wander into any store, pick any device from a shelf, and connect it to any wireless network – one as open as the Internet.

But spurred by growing demand and a federal airwaves auction that closed last week, the major wireless carriers are stepping away from a model in which each cellphone is controlled by a single company that sells customers a device locked to their network, demands a lengthy contract, and limits the phone’s features.

"We call it a 180-degree about-face to open access, and it really is a fundamental shift in business models – if we can get there," said Linda Barrabee, senior analyst at Yankee Group, a technol ogy research firm, and author of a recent report, "Open Access is the New Black."

By Carolyn Y. Johnson

Full Story: http://www.boston.com/business/technology/articles/2008/03/28/big_wireless_carriers_get_set_to_free_the_phone/