Special report: Check out the R&D spending of top wireless firms

The wireless industry doesn't seem to have been slowed much by the recent downturn in the economy. CTIA calculated the U.S. wireless industry investment at around $310 billion in 2010. Wireless companies' research and development spending also appeared to continue unabated--not surprising given the cut-throat nature of competition in the industry. Thus, Fierce has taken a look at the research and development habits of some of the wireless industry's top vendors, in terms of spending. Check out how R&D spending stacks up among Alcatel-Lucent (NYSE:ALU), Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL), Ericsson (NASDAQ:ERIC), Motorola, Nokia (NYSE:NOK), Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM) and Research In Motion (NASDAQ:RIMM). Special report