On 18 July 2001, a freight train derailed in the Howard Street tunnel running beneath downtown Baltimore, spilling 20,000 litres of hydrochloric acid. The resulting chemical fire destroyed fibre-optic cables owned by eight major US internet carriers. Moments later, Verizon Communications (VZ), which operates key portions of the internet’s physical infrastructure in the US, lost links to two operations buildings and several other carriers’ networks.

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Is Motorola (MOT) planning to hold a fire sale?

Oppenheimer analyst Ittai Kidron observes in a research note that the company continues to plan the spin-off of its crumbling handset business sometime next year. But he says checks suggest the company is in the middle of strategic planning process that could lead to other asset sales as well over the next 12 months.

In particular, he thinks the company is considering narrowing its focus to the government and enterprise markets, and gradually transitioning its carrier and cable businesses. He says the company is “in advanced discussions” with Huawei on a sale of all or parts of its wireless infrastructure business, and that it is also reviewing the possible sale of its set-top box business.

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Apple (AAPL) now finds itself where everyone else in the mobile handset business wanted to be 15 years ago. Large companies full of clever people devoted years of planning and expenditure to fail to get here. If the iPhone continues to flourish–then both rival manufacturers and the networks have to tear up some long established strategies. For the established handset competition, if Apple takes the lucrative high end, that leaves them scrambling around for gimmicks in a cutthroat market that’s increasingly low margin. For the networks, they’ll need to find devices that people actually want–or pray that Apple drops its carrier exclusivity policy and partners with any network that wants to sell its gear. So how did someone with no track record in a notoriously difficult business find itself walking away with the laurels? What can explain this paradox?

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A few hours before the global launch of Nokia’s (NOK) latest high-end phone, the company gave a sneak peek at the gadget to a dozen bloggers and journalists gathered at its swank Midtown Manhattan concept store. With an elegant touchscreen that slid open to reveal a full keyboard, the device evoked lust in even the iPhone disciples present. So when can we get it in the U.S.? The company’s answer: “Globally, sometime in the first half of 2009.” The U.S. launch will come after that. No carrier has been announced. In other words, just about never.

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