The Week in Review

Welcome to our Friday feature, Week in Review. Every Friday, RCR Wireless News runs through the major events of the past week, outlining what happened and speculating on what to look for in the coming weeks, months and years. Check below for news about carriers, handset makers, content companies, infrastructure vendors and more.
Carriers
–The Wall Street Journal reported that Sprint Nextel CEO Gary Forsee may be on his way out. If Sprint Nextel does indeed gain a new chief executive, the leadership change could spark a change in strategy for the carrier.
–Verizon Wireless announced its customers will be able to change their service plans without extending their contracts. It remains to be seen whether the rest of the nation’s carriers will respond to the challenge.
Handsets
–Verizon Wireless released a slew of holiday-bound handsets, including an LG device geared to compete directly with Apple’s iPhone, which is available exclusively through AT&T Mobility. Industry watchers will be keen to see whether the handsets will help boost Verizon Wireless ahead of the pack in the critical fourth-quarter holiday shopping season.
–Palm suffered another sluggish financial quarter, and analysts questioned the company’s apparent attempt to break into the lower-cost segment of the handset market with its latest $100 offering through Sprint Nextel. The latest bout of trouble for Palm again highlights the challenges the company faces in competing in a crowded and cut-throat handset market.
Content
–Nokia announced it will pay a whopping $8.1 billion for mapping vendor Navteq. The acquisition reiterates Nokia’s play to become a content and services provider as well as a handset vendor, and also ups the stakes in the company’s battle against wireless carriers for consumer attention and allegiance.
Infrastructure
–The Financial Times reported that Ericsson is winning business at AT&T Mobility away from Alcatel-Lucent, news that comes on the heels of a string of profit warnings from the French-American firm. Alcatel-Lucent’s struggles reflect the increasingly tight network equipment market, which may well contract further.
Other
–A court of appeals rejected Verizon Wireless’ request for an expedited review of its lawsuit against the FCC’s open-access stipulations. Thus, litigation over the 700 MHz auction could stretch into the coming months and years.
COMING IN MONDAY’S ISSUE OF RCR WIRELESS NEWS
–Retail Snapshot: Reporter Kelly Hill talks to Car Toys, a Seattle-based retailer of three of the top four carriers to find out what customers are asking about in wireless products and services.
–Reporter Phil Carson looks at the ongoing tension between the locked iPhone and some manufacturers’ pushes for open devices.
–Nokia picked up Navteq for $8 billion. What does that mean for Nokia’s LBS strategy going forward? Colin Gibbs reports.