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
–T-Mobile USA unveiled an inexpensive BlackBerry service plan aimed at enticing a new segment of users; the carrier hopes the $10-per-month offering will eventually spark upgrades to more expensive plans. The move likely will spur other carriers to adopt a similar BlackBerry entry point.
–WiMAX carrier Clearwire announced a deal to test DVB-H mobile TV technology, news that could portend further multimedia offerings from the Craig McCaw-backed startup.
Handsets
–An appeals court postponed a ban on the importation of phones bearing Qualcomm chips, a move that gives the chip maker room for legal maneuvering and frees up the nation’s carriers to move ahead with critical fourth-quarter handset sales. However, the issue will continue to dog Qualcomm, which must now convince the court to overturn the ban.
–Apple reported selling 1 million iPhones just a few months after releasing the gadget. The company also scheduled a press conference in London for next week, and is expected to announce its European iPhone partners. Those in the industry will be keen to judge European demand for the iPhone, as well as the device’s selling power in the critical fourth-quarter holiday shopping season in the United States.
Content
–Motorola unveiled a direct-to-consumer content site that offers a range of applications and games for Moto phone owners. The move is the latest by a handset maker bent on circumventing carriers’ content-distribution channels.
Infrastructure
–Alcatel-Lucent announced it expects tightening revenues due to slower network spending by wireless carriers, especially those in North America. The situation yet again highlights the increasingly competitive nature of the wireless equipment market.
Other
–Verizon Wireless took the FCC to court over the open-access conditions the commission put on the 700 MHz spectrum licenses, which are scheduled for auction early next year. The move could spark a protracted legal battle over the issue and casts a cloud over the auction.
–Patent-holding company NTP filed patent-infringement claims against several of the nation’s top carriers, a move that could grow into another protracted legal battle over mobile e-mail intellectual property. NTP’s argument is backed by the company’s $612.5 million settlement with BlackBerry maker Research In Motion.
COMING IN MONDAY’S ISSUE OF RCR WIRELESS NEWS
–Qualcomm scored a temporary victory in appeals court, which stayed a ban of the importation of Qualcomm’s chips. What does the situation mean for the holiday shopping season? Phil Carson reports
–How does your company stack up? RCR Wireless News takes a look at the top public companies by market cap.
–The music industry is adding a twist to ringtones with ringles. How will it play out? Reporter Matt Kapko checks it out.