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Google's CEO Eric Schmidt will make a guest appearance at Verizon Wireless' pre-CTIA press conference and open developer event today, confirming speculation that the carrier will belatedly announce a clear strategy for Android. Whether it will announce its first handsets at the same time is unclear - there is no sign of Motorola co-CEO Sanjay Jha on the agenda (though he is keynoting elsewhere at CTIA), which suggests the much anticipated Verizon/Motorola Tao smartphone may still wait a few weeks to be officially unveiled.

Verizon Wireless has been playing a will-they won't-they game with Android all year, though it has been embellishing its open developer initiative, as it faces the prospect of opening one of the most tightly controlled networks and software platforms in the world to open access (mandatory on its 700MHz spectrum). Android would logically form part of that initiative, though like the other US majors (except T-Mobile), Verizon Wireless has been cautious about committing itself too quickly to an untried platform with few handset choices. Instead, its first open steps have focused on Java, which it embraced firmly in June, its own app store plans, and some interest in LiMO; while its applications response to the AT&T iPhone has relied heavily on RIM. A year ago, CEO Lowell McAdam said: "We're planning on using Android. Android is an enabler of what we do" - but few concrete moves followed.

Now that Android is improving in functionality and more phonemakers are launching devices, Verizon is likely to feel the time is right to show its hand. It is widely expected to launch at least two Android phones this fall - the Motorola Tao/Sholes and one or two products from HTC. If it is putting serious commitment behind the Google OS, we can expect to see a raft of handsets after the holidays, including upcoming models from long time partner Samsung (whose Behold II is coming to TMo USA this fall). Like co-parent Vodafone, Verizon Wireless may well have a multi-tiered web OS strategy, with Android and BlackBerry for the branded smartphones and LiMO plus native Java for its own-branded systems.

Many of Verizon Wireless' open activities will be geared to differentiating its LTE network and services from day one, to gain a headstart on AT&T and fend off Clearwire/Sprint. Yesterday it put money where its mouth is, announcing the 4G Venture Forum (4GVF), a collaboration with venture capital funds to put money behind innovative apps and devices for the new network. The 4GVF will have a fund of $1.3bn though the partners said this would be available to many mobile broadband ideas, not just those for Verizon and/or LTE. Nor will the funded companies be contractually obliged to work with Verizon, either exclusively or at all, so other WiMAX and LTE carriers could also benefit.

The venture firms are Charles River Partners, New Ventures Partners, North Bridge Venture Partners, Norwest Venture Partners, Redpoint Ventures and Alcatel-Lucent Ventures. Both the carrier's LTE RAN suppliers, ALU and Ericsson, will work with 4GVF to provide their technical expertise.

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