Two pieces caught our eye today at MediaPost's Online Media Daily.

First, a new study seems to dispel the notion that America lags behind Europe when it comes to non-voice services:

AT LEAST WHEN IT COMES to mobile content that doesn't require fast networks or high-end devices, European and American consumption habits are more similar than is generally believed, according to a new study from M:Metrics and Buongiorno, the multinational digital entertainment company.

Two interesting findings come to light:

While text messaging is still far more prevalent in Europe, use of ring tones and graphics are very similar....and 80% of mobile music revenue comes from ring tones.
...
Also, the U.S. actually outperforms most European countries when it comes to using mobile email and instant messaging.

So what's the catch?

...Use of mobile video, photo messaging and music correlate closely with penetration of 3G (third-generation high data-speed carriers), and penetration is considerably higher in European markets.

And what does that mean? US consumers are far from averse to using new, high-speed data services--they simply are not available to them on a widespread basis. The summer debut of the iPhone, coupled with continued mass investment in high-speed data networks (supported by high-paying business customers) should lead to a closing of this gap.

Meanwhile, this week saw a number of big mobile ad deal announcements:

• Search-centric digital agency iCrossing this week tapped JumpTap to give its clients a mobile edge. Under the partnership, iCrossing will provide its clients with ad placement on the mobile Web sites of U.S. wireless carriers through JumpTap's white-labeled mobile search and advertising system.
• Yahoo this week showed off a mobile advertising platform called Yahoo Mobile Publisher Services, allowing publishers to post and manage mobile ads on Yahoo. Advertisers include Pepsi and Hewlett-Packard.
• In the latest example of major marketing deals in the mobile space, MTV Networks this week launched a series of mobile Web sites with Pepsi-Cola North America and Intel Corp. on board as charter sponsors -- marking the first time MTV has sold ads against its mobile portfolio. The Intel and Pepsi brands will feature prominently on the MTV and Comedy Central mobile TV channels, as well as the new MTV, VH1 and Comedy Central mobile Web sites.