This week, I caught up with Tony Lewis, Verizon (NYSE: VZ) Wireless’ newly-appointed VP of Open Development, at CTIA to talk to him about what the company’s plans are for its open-development initiative. Back in November, Lewis was tapped for the position from the company’s wireline division, where he served in a policy role in Washington, D.C. Lewis isn’t a technology guy, and doesn’t know much about wireless, but he’s figuring it out fast. In his own words, he says it is his job is to create a program in which Verizon only plays the role of the network, and then independent applications and devices can run on it. “The only way this is gonig to work is if it’s a true partnership between carriers, devices and applications. Any independent part can work, but not individually,” he said.

Given all the announcements today by Verizon and AT&T (NYSE: T) regarding the recent spectrum auction, here’s some more details on Verizon’s definition of its “Any Apps, Any Device” initiative:

Any Apps, Any Device: So, far this means that Verizon will let any certified device run on its network, and any application can run on those third-party devices. For now, outside applications won’t have access to Verizon’s own handsets. “That’s down the road...That’s a small part of open development to me,” he said.

The certification process: What if one of the applications is a bandwidth hog, will it be blocked? Lewis said that probably won’t be a problem for awhile: “I want it to see it drain the network. We have the best network. We’re going to be able to accommodate it.”

The opportunity: Lewis explained that the opportunity is not so much in expanding the number of phone handsets that are available, but in getting new devices connected (often called the machine to machine, or M2M market). A lot of carriers have been talking about this recently. As the penetration nears 100 percent in the U.S., Wall Street analysts are questioning whether the carrier’s growth will plateau. But if other devices, such as or equipment in the healthcare or industrial industries, become connected, it will push growth past 100 percent. After talking to Lewis, this really seems to be Verizon’s primary reason for addressing the open market. “You are going to hear a lot of yeses. I want those people on my network,” Lewis said.

Manufacturing partnerships: Lewis said he’s working closely with device manufacturers to hear their ideas, and flesh out business plans with them. He is not just opening up the network, and saying they are on their own. “I’m looking at the business plans to see how they believe they will make money. I’m taking a prety heavy hand,” he said.

Verizon’s open-access 180: “This is not a project, this is a new way Verizon Wireless works,” he said. But it wasn’t that long ago that Verizon was suing the FCC over the open-access requirements. “People seem surprised that our corporation would be innovative and jump out in front, but look at FiOS, and the amount of capital we are investing in that—it’s the equivalent of building a new railroad,” he said. Instead, they sued based on principal—unnecessary regulation is not good for the industry.

The first devices: Lewis wouldn’t say, or even hint, at the devices that are being brought to him by manufacturers. “It’s really fun,” he said, but the cool things he’s seeing today will pale compared to the future. “I can’t imagine it yet. It’s a great start but the future is endless.”

Timing: Lewis said the certification labs will be ready by May, and he wants the first devices to be out by summer, but “how quickly it gets to the market is up to the manufacturer.”

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