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
–AT&T Mobility pushed into the mobile banking space with the launch of its mobile banking platform. The service is in partnership with Wachovia Corp. and SunTrust Banks Inc., and is powered by mobile banking and payments enabler Firethorn Holdings L.L.C.
Content
No sooner did AT&T Mobility announce the launch of its mobile banking partnership with Firethorn than Qualcomm acquired the mobile banking platform provider for $210 million. While AT&T Mobility’s announcement seemed to solidify the mobile banking space, Qualcomm’s investment showed there is broad interest in the future of the service.
Handsets
–Apple’s iPhone finally made its European debut, and like its domestic launch, lines for the device stretched out the door. The apparent success overseas bodes well for the device as Apple now looks to expand into additional markets.
Regulatory
–The Federal Communications Commission agreed to divide mobile satellite service L-band spectrum between Globalstar and Iridium. The deal gives each operator nearly 8 megahertz of additional spectrum in the 1.6 GHz band to further expand their offerings, which gained further support following recent natural disasters and the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.
COMING IN MONDAY’S ISSUE OF RCR WIRELESS NEWS
–Will mobile become a new avenue for artists looking to distribute their wares direct to consumers? Colin Gibbs examines the possibilities.
–With the highly anticipated 700 MHz spectrum auction drawing closer, the federal government made several important decisions that could impact potential winners. Jeffrey Silva takes a closer look.
–Phil Carson looks at the impact Sprint Nextel’s decision to scrap its WiMAX deployment plans with Clearwire could have on device manufacturers in the space.