AT&T Says: We're Open Too! Seriously!

Say, folks, AT&T would like to remind you that Verizon isn't the only "open" game in town. It's got an open network, too! Er... never mind that it's been that way for years and AT&T hasn't changed a thing. It makes for a good press release, right? Attaboy, AT&T!

USA Today is typically breathless in its pronouncement that "AT&T flings cellphone network wide open" while trying to tie this latest reminder from AT&T CEO Ralph de la Vega to Google's upcoming Android mobile phone OS, though Android is months off at best. Of course, Verizon's recent change of heart on nonapproved devices is the real reason for de la Vega's reminder, who says, "You can use any handset on our network you want."

That, of course, has long been the case: Just grab your AT&T SIM card and pop it in any GSM phone. I've been doing this for two years, with dozens of handsets, foreign and domestic, and have never had the slightest of problems. (You see, unlike with a CDMA network like Verizon, unlocked GSM phones actually exist.)

Of course, de la Vega is careful to note that the Apple iPhone is a "very special" case, but that's really more an issue of a locked handset, not a locked network.

Oh, and in case you're wondering, T-Mobile, as the other GSM game in town, has one of these superopen networks too. Expect a reminder... er, announcement... from the company soon.

And Sprint? It's your turn to jump in the pool now!