The Week in Review

Welcome to our new 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, months and years. Check below for news about carriers, handset makers, content companies, infrastructure vendors and more.
Carriers
—Sprint Nextel said it is exploring financial and strategic options to fund its WiMAX buildout, and may even team up with Clearwire for the effort. One likely scenario is a sale of the carrier’s spectrum to private equity, although Sprint Nextel has said it wants to maintain control.
–For its part, Clearwire announced resale deals with DirecTV and EchoStar. Although the initial agreement involves the satellite TV vendors selling Clearwire service, it could also put Clearwire in a position to evolve from a WiMAX network operator and into a telecom brand with a variety of offerings.
–Deutsche Telekom said it has no interest in selling T-Mobile USA Inc., which essentially brings to a close speculation on further consolidation among the nation’s major wireless providers-at least for now.
Handsets
–Steve Jobs said the iPhone will run third-party applications, news that could potentially stand as a major boon to developers-as long as Apple sells enough of the much-hyped gadgets.
Content
—USA Today launched an ad-supported text-messaging service through 4INFO, another concrete step forward in the much-discussed mobile marketing industry.
–An MTV dance show moved from the company’s mobile video service and onto its regular TV program schedule, news that may signal media companies’ intent to use wireless as a sort of testing ground for new programming.
Infrastructure
—Ericsson racked up a $1 billion contract with China Mobile for GSM equipment, evidence that the Chinese market is still extremely important for the world’s wireless players despite the government’s continued delay on issuing 3G licenses.
Other
–The 700 MHz auction continues to tumble toward a December start date; billions hang in the balance.
COMING IN MONDAY’S ISSUE OF RCR WIRELESS NEWS
–Amid an ongoing battle over cross-licensing, handset giant Nokia has accused CDMA innovator Qualcomm of stalling the world’s uptake of 3G and “holding the industry hostage.” Qualcomm predicted that arbitration would bring Nokia to heel within a year. RCR Wireless News reporter Phil Carson takes a look at this week’s news and the rhetoric, with interviews of leading executives on both sides.
–AT&T and Apple are set to unleash the iPhone in a few short weeks. How AT&T handles service plans and customer care, among other issues, will be key to the product’s success. Reporter Kelly Hill trolls analysts to discuss potential strategies the carrier could take.
–D.C. Bureau Chief Jeffrey Silva talks with Allen Salmasi, the man behind NextWave Telecom’s wireless broadband vision. After all of NextWave’s negative publicity, can the company compete in the wireless marketplace?