Special Versions for US Carriers

[moimel]

Hey guys in the US,

I always wonder why you have special versions of the lumia series for each carrier. For example the 822 or the 521. I'm living in Germany and Holland and the carriers here just offer the same phones with a branding. Sometimes one carrier has a phone exclusively, but they don't have an own version.

what is the advantage of these special phones? Often they don't differ from the "original" version.

Cheers moimel

 

[sdreamer]

As far as I can tell, subsidies that spoil us. Carriers will request features or design changes to make it different from competitors, and they'll make it so they'll only carrier or subsidize it by so much if the requests are fulfilled. That's how I understand it anyways. Kinda stupid, but it's how our market works >.>

 

[jcagga]

$$$$$$

 

[thed]

It's not always just money, there are technical reasons too. For example, Verizon uses CDMA2000 so you always need to have a separate version (like the 822), unless the required radio is already included in the base model like with the iPhone.

 

[moimel]

Oh, I didn't know there is another technology than GSM. Thanks for the answers

 

[mrmdj31675]

Moimel, CDMA2000 is the dominant cell technology in the US with about two thirds of total cell lines (which is not just limited to Verizon and Sprint).

 

[Laura Knotek]

Moimel, CDMA2000 is the dominant cell technology in the US with about two thirds of total cell lines (which is not just limited to Verizon and Sprint).

It will probably be on its way out eventually. Bell and Telus in Canada used to be CDMA, but they upgraded their networks due to the Olympics in Vancouver. People who came to Vancouver from most countries would not have been able to use the CDMA networks. Bell and Telus still maintain the legacy CDMA networks, but they don't sell any CDMA devices anymore, so eventually the networks will be retired when no users remain.