Various areas of the industry had news this week, from the return of Steve Jobs at Apple to the launch of a satellite by TerreStar Networks.
Apple CEO Steve Jobs returned to work this week after taking a 5 ½-month medical leave, during which he received a liver transplant. Jobs is considered instrumental to Apple’s success, and his health and return has been watched closely by investors.
The news of pop star Michael Jackson’s death triggered one of the largest mobile search spikes Google has ever seen. Five of the Web site’s top 20 searches concerned Jackson. Google initially mistook the spike as an automated attack.
The Mobile Marketing Association released its cross-carrier playbook, which integrates the individual mobile marketing guidelines and codes of conduct of the country’s four largest carriers: Verizon Wireless, AT&T, Sprint Nextel and T-Mobile USA. The guidelines create a standard set of advertising practices and covers content such as text messaging, multimedia messaging and mobile Web. The agreement also features a new reference ID system.
Comcast began reselling Clearwire’s mobile WiMAX service in Portland, Ore., under the brand High-Speed 2go. The cable operator will bundle the service with one of its Internet, phone or television products. High-Speed 2go will be available in Atlanta, Philadelphia and Chicago by year-end.
The European Union and mobile phone makers reached an agreement to make a single, more energy efficient charger for most cell phones. Handset makers including Nokia, Sony Ericsson, Apple, Motorola and Research In Motion will introduce the charger by next year.
TerreStar Networks got under way with its plans to offer a combo satellite and terrestrial mobile service in North America with the launch of a commercial satellite that will provide service for the continental United States, Canada, Puerto Rico, Hawaii and Alaska.
Nokia Siemens Network received a euro250 million loan from the European investment bank. The loan will be used for research and development of Nokia Siemens’ multimode radio access network technology, which allows telcos to use one platform for both GSM and 3G mobile technologies.