Verizon Calls On Developers: Create Innovative Applications For More Than 80 Million Customers

Verizon Takes Its First Developer Community Conference to Heart of Silicon Valley on July 28.

BASKING RIDGE, NJ — Verizon is hosting its first-ever Verizon Developer Community (VDC) Conference on July 28 in Silicon Valley, focused entirely on fostering the development of new mobile applications.

Verizon will webcast the day’s presentations, featuring executives from Verizon, Research In Motion (RIM) and Softbank Mobile, among others, to accommodate developer interest and demand. Several hundred developers have already requested registration for the applications conference to be held at The Fairmont San Jose.

Lowell McAdam, chief executive officer of Verizon Wireless, said the conference is an important “coming out” for Verizon with the application development community, building on the open development conference that focused on devices, which the company held in March last year. McAdam said, “Even going it alone, Verizon has become the largest and most successful mobile multimedia service provider in the nation. But despite that success, we have learned an important lesson: The wireless future will be built on partnerships and collaboration.”

John Stratton, Verizon’s chief marketing officer, said application developers can expect to participate in discussions about accessing Verizon Wireless’ customer base through a host of devices and operating environments.

“Conference speakers will detail how developers can take advantage of new tools and resources, including Verizon Wireless APIs, to build applications and get them in front of more than 80 million customers,” Stratton said. “This conference is a direct result of feedback we received from our development partners to streamline our processes. The model that we’ll share at the conference is singular in its focus: To make working with Verizon Wireless more compelling, lucrative and, above all, simple for developers.”

Path to Applications Development and the Mobile Future
The VDC Conference will provide mobile applications developers with an overview of the company’s overall strategy around applications; information on a new developer portal; and the process of submitting, launching and revenue sharing for applications on Verizon Wireless devices as well as the upcoming launch of an applications store. Technical, marketing and network information will be addressed by Verizon Wireless leaders and other partners.

This conference is yet another marker in Verizon’s efforts to encourage innovation, give customers new wireless choices, and quickly address opportunities to expand the wireless market. Through its open development program, Verizon Wireless has certified more than 50 devices for use on its network. Earlier this year, Verizon Wireless offered developers technical specifications for devices that will run on recently-acquired 700 MHz C-block spectrum where its 4G Long Term Evolution (LTE) network will operate.

Watch the Conference via Webcast
The morning sessions featuring speakers from Verizon, RIM, Softbank Mobile, and several developer partners will be webcast live beginning at 9:30 a.m. PT / 12:30 p.m. ET. Afternoon deep-dive sessions will be videotaped and available for viewing on the Web site shortly after the conference concludes. For information about the webcast, visit www.vdc2009.com and click on the WEBCAST tab. Developers can find all VDC Conference information, including the agenda and other details, at www.vdc2009.com.