AT&T has cut the price of Nokia‘s Lumia 900 smartphone in half, lowering it to $50 with a two-year contract. Cost drops on relatively new phones aren’t unheard of, but the device faces significant competition at AT&T from the iPhone and Android devices, including the new Samsung Galaxy S III. More information about the state of Nokia’s smartphone sales will be made public when it reports earnings this week.
It looks like MobiTV won’t be going public, at least not in the near term. The company withdrew its August bid for an initial public offering on Friday because of “unfavorable market conditions,” according to documents filed with the FCC. MobiTV has struggled to achieve profitability. Its primary source of revenue comes from providing wireless operators with apps that allow subscribers to watch live television on their phones.
The FCC has won a legal fight over the allocation of the Universal Service Fund. The court ruled in favor of an FCC decision to put the fund’s resources towards expanding broadband service isntead of providing them to wireless providers. The Rural Cellular Association and the Universal Service for America Coalition had challenged the order, arguing they were entitled to access the funds.
The Mobile Marketing Association says it has more than $1 million to fund new research evaluating the return on investment of mobile marketing campaigns. The research will test real-life in-market marketing campaigns to determine the relative economic value of investing in mobile channels compared to traditional marketing channels. Studies are already planned for the United States, United Kingdom and Turkey.
