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Nokia discussing WP8 exclusivity agreements with EU carriers
Hoping to boost sales and plug its rapidly depleting cash reserves, Nokia may create exclusivity agreements with worldwide partners ahead of the Windows Phone 8 launch later this year, mimicking its US sales model with the Lumia 900 via AT&T.
The Financial Times reports that the struggling phone-maker is in talks with several European networks, including Deutsche Telekom as well as its UK-based venture, Everything Everywhere, and France Telecom. Securing such deals would guarantee Nokia dedicated support for upcoming devices, including additional incentive for partnered carriers to launch marketing campaigns -- not unlike Apple's approach when the iPhone was first introduced.
"Many European operators are already keen to help establish the Windows phone range as a third credible competitor alongside Apple's iPhone and Samsung's Android ranges, whose market dominance allows them to take almost all of the profit from the sale of handsets," the Financial Times said, citing the comments of an unnamed executive working for one of the mobile providers.
A Nokia spokesperson wouldn't comment on speculation, but said the firm has "excellent relationships and a regular dialogue with our operator partners."
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AT&T Lumia 900
The Nokia Lumia 900 is 11.4mm thickness and weight 159g, in the front you can find the 4.3-inch ClearBlack AMOLED display and in the back the 8 megapixel camera and its LED flash. Since there are no seams or doors there is no way to access the 1830mAh battery or increase the phone's 16GB internal storage with a microSD card.
Nokia Lumia 710
The Nokia Lumia 710 has a 3.7-inch, WVGA (480 x 800 pixel) display. It sports a 5 megapixel camera and LED flash, and a loud and clear external speaker. Like most Windows Phone 7.5 devices, the Lumia 710 does not support microSD cards. The Nokia Lumia 710 is powered with a 1.4GHz Qualcomm processor and 512MB of RAM. The Windows Phone interface gets out of your way easily, and apps are quick to open more often than not.
Nokia Lumia 800
The Nokia Lumia 800 measures a fairly compact 116.8mm x 61.2mm x 12.1mm (4.6in x 2.4in x .5in), it features 16GB of internal storage, but lacks a microSD memory card slot. The Nokia Lumia 800 runs on a single-core processor (1.4GHz). The Lumia 800 is capable of HSPA 14.4 3G data connections on the 900, 1900, and 2100MHz bands and also features Wi-Fi and Bluetooth support.
Nokia Lumia 610
Read expert reviews, pros & cons, and product information about Nokia Lumia 610. There are 42 reviews available so far.
User Comments: 10
Got something to say? Post a comment-
How does exclusivity with several carriers work?
If more than one carrier has it, that's not exactly exclusive.
Would/can Nokia afford not to let any carrier that wants it to carry it?
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nokia wouldn't be struggling if the lumia was actually an android phone. they should make an android version.
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TekGun said:
They mean that no other brand of Windows phone 8 can be sold by the carrier, so no HTC, Samsung etc.
I will be getting a Win phone 8 and don't mind if its a Nokia, they make great phones.
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Good call on Nokia's part, if they can replicate AT&T results it should go some way in changing their fortunes. Hopefully, WP8 Lumias will be very competitive and keep the performance advantage over competition.
@Lee
I have no plans to waste any more money on android smartphones, so I'll pass on SGS III, however, if they offer similar hardware with WP8, I may consider buying from Sammy.
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first guest: because different carriers cover different areas? derp
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If we actually make a distinction between phone and smartphone we realize that Nokia never in it's entire history produced a single iconic or at least good one. Yes, I know all about N series, gaming phones, attempts at MeeGoo, Symbian - played with most of them available. Nokia is known for bulky handsets and choppy interfaces - ~10fps and ugly icons are a sad standard.
If I ever decide to jump to Win8 I will go with HTC - known for great Windows phones since day one.
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@Archean I only got the SGS3 because it was cheaper than alternatives, and since my Lumia 710 was dead, I needed a decent replacement.
Really missing Windows Phone OS though, but at least the Samsung lasts two days to a single charge, even with my heavy usage. Seem to have to keep clearing the apps to gain back RAM and the phones performance these days though. Its a far cry from WP's "it just works" experience.
I'm in two minds whether to sell it and get a Lumia 900, since WP8 isn't due til much later in the year.
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yRaz said:
@ArcheanI'm in two minds whether to sell it and get a Lumia 900, since WP8 isn't due til much later in the year.
It's not that much later. Doesn't WP8 have an October launch? The SGS3 isn't a bad phone to be "stuck with" for 2 1/2 months
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I'm guessing here, but I think Leeky is not referring to 'SGS III' being a bad phone, the fact is Android just doesn't offer the same fluid UI/smooth experience as WP does. In fact, I'd say its is much inferior to iOS and WP in this respect.
@Leeky
I think yRaz is spot on, you can live with SGS III for few months, as Lumia 900 despite being a very good smartphone, will relinquish its top dog status in WP camp, and then you may think what IF I've waited .......
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@Archean
Aye, I'm okay with it. Its a fantastic phone, and I'd like to see what Android 4.1 (aka Jelly Bean) does for it but it just seems a bit "clunky" with the UI. It has powerful hardware, and for the most part should fly along nicely, but lately the home screen seems to be "sticking" and sometimes it even goes completely dark for a few seconds when I go to open the menu. I then go and clear the 4-5 apps running, or reboot the phone and its working quickly again.
I'll probably wait until WP8 arrives and then go with the flagship handset -- the SGSIII will still be worth plenty in 3-4 months time.
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