iTunes on Hold at Motorola

Some analysts say telcos have also thrown around an idea to charge users a monthly iTunes premium as a way to collect some sort of toll in the music highway they aren't providing.

And some highly optimistic industry strategists say that telcos will eventually play a central role in the music phone business.

Operators, says IDC analyst Lewis Ward, will be "one of the key retail storefronts for music in the 21st century."

One thing not lost in all this is that Motorola seems to find itself in an odd place after years of strategic fiascos and product delays, says Yankee's Jackson: "For once Motorola has a product people want and carriers aren't ready for it."