The Week in Review

Welcome to our Friday feature, Week in Review. Every Friday, RCR Wireless News will run through the major events of the past week, outlining what happened and speculating on what to look for in the coming weeks. Check below for news about carriers, handset makers, content companies, infrastructure vendors and more.
Carriers
–EarthLink announced 900 job cuts, while its mobile virtual network operator Helio announced around 100. The news calls into question a number of business areas, including municipal Wi-Fi and the MVNO market in general.
–AT&T announced it will review its advertising strategy, and could hire new advertising firms over the coming months. The announcement could signal a new branding campaign by the nation’s No. 2 advertiser.
Handsets
–Nokia released a range of new handsets, including several high-end, N-series models, one of which is destined for the U.S. market. The company also showed off a prototype, touchscreen device that appears similar to Apple’s iPhone, further evidence that the world’s handset makers are playing catch-up to the much-hyped iPhone.
Content
–Nokia announced a range of Internet-based services for its new Ovi brand. The offering is yet another attempt by the world’s largest handset maker to circumvent wireless carriers and take its brand directly to consumers. However, the company’s track record in this area is somewhat mixed, so industry will be closely watching the trajectory of Ovi.
Infrastructure
–Qualcomm is expanding its MediaFLO efforts in Asia, following the European Commission’s recommendation that carriers use DVB-H for mobile TV instead of MediaFLO. The question now is how much cash Qualcomm will put into MediaFLO in Asia, and whether its successes in the United States will help its position overseas.
–Samsung scored Sprint Nextel’s New York City WiMAX buildout contract. Although the win provides Samsung bragging rights, the industry will be closely watching Sprint Nextel’s Xohm buildout and any performance issues could cash a pall over the network’s designers.
COMING IN MONDAY’S ISSUE OF RCR WIRELESS NEWS
–As WiMAX services expand in the United States, battles over intellectual property rights for the technology could heat up. Reporter Phil Carson takes a look.
–Qualcomm’s MediaFLO rearranges its executives while looking at a hybrid strategy both abroad and at home. Matt Kapko reports
–Reporter Colin Gibbs interviews Maria Mandel, executive director of digital innovation for Ogilvy New York. Mandel has helped deploy mobile marketing campaigns for Cisco Systems, DHL and Dove, among others.