How Verizon built the 'Hub'

The new Verizon Hub — launched last week — has been on the takeoff ramp for some time. When it was finally introduced, the final device looked pretty slick. The touch-screen system includes voice-over-IP service as well as widget-style access to a range of application, including visual voicemail, contact list management, text messaging, calendars and turn-by-turn directions — with more (eventually including a music service) still to come.

We talked with Verizon Wireless’ John Broten, executive director of product development for the Hub, to get a feel for how it all came together. Service providers — and their vendors — talk all the time about the need to deliver new, out-of-the-box services. The hub certainly fits that profile; what, if anything, can other providers learn from its development?

While Verizon developers worked closely with device manufacturer Open Peak, most of the user interface was developed internally, Broten said. “We started by putting together the user interface,” he said. “We thought would deliver the most value. Then we began to pull together various content providers, some from existing relationships. We leverage the feeds those content providers made available and also used [application programming interfaces] into other [Verizon internal] systems to enable things like VZ Navigator, text messaging and [multimedia messaging service].”

The clear focus was on simplicity and dovetailing with Verizon’s wireless services, not — in a major design decision — the Internet or Web-based services. The device doesn’t even do e-mail. It’s hard to find a handset of any kind, let alone a device with a large touch screen, that doesn’t feature some e-mail access. Another possible feature — an integrated femtocell to enable fixed/mobile convergence — also is notably missing from the device, ostensibly as another nod to “simplicity.”

“We tried to be careful not to make it a PC on the kitchen counter, if you will, but rather focus on features we believed from our research would be most valued and useful to a busy family,” Broten said. “We’re not trying to position this as a Web access tool for the home. The PC is where people will do that.” He noted that adding a Web browser certainly was considered, but research showed customers weren’t clamoring for one on the device. Instead, Broten said, “clear integration with [a customer’s wireless capabilities] was probably the key driver behind the development of the design.”

On the back end, Verizon Wireless’ IT team developed the provisioning, sales and billing systems to support the system. VZW is deploying a new softswitch from BroadSoft to support the VoIP offerings. (Verizon already is a named BroadSoft customer, though the wireless relationship is a new one.) The operator isn’t initially using BroadSoft’s Xtended “telecom mashup” platform to deliver services to the phone; for now the softswitch is simply providing straightforward voice calling features.

Though Verizon made a big splash with its Open Development Initiative, work on the device was more of a proprietary, Verizon-only effort — at least for now, Broten said. “We look forward to an environment where third-party developers can take advantage of our tools and develop apps for this device,” he said.

What do you think? Do the Verizon Hub and its service strategy have what it takes to be a success? Let us know.

E-mail me at rkarpinski@telephonyonline.com.