Will Nokia finally be aggressive with US carriers?

Mitlov

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HTC 8X: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, but not US Cellular.
Lumia 920: AT&T exclusive.
Ativ S: Deafening silence on availability.

Here's a threat. If nobody brings a flagship device to [edit]US Cellular[/edit], I may switch to the Galaxy S3. I don't want to, but I do want nice hardware. US Cellular came out with a very enthusiastic press release about WP8 about how excited they were for the OS and how they were going to market it and promote the **** out of it...and so far, the WP8 OEMs have utterly ignored them. Samsung gave them the Galaxy S3.

If the WP8 OEMs don't branch out beyond the Big Three (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) with WP8 devices...I'm sure I won't be the only one looking elsewhere.
 
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DaveGx

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Don't count on carriers not being fussed about it.

Android costs them a lot of extra money annually due to support issues. Google updates the OS, but the carriers have to work on deployment. They also have to do tech support issues, most of them stemming from interface differences between the manufacturers. There's now also concern about the platform due to the Samsung lawsuit.

iPhone is also expensive due to Apple's demands on the carriers.

Then back to the Samsung suit - the carriers may not pay mind to WP8, but manufacturers will in increasing numbers. MS can offer them protection from Apple's lawsuits.

But ultimately, the WP8 model is probably the one that helps the carriers the most. They have a big partner that requires the consistent ecosystem of the OS be maintained. MS will deploy OS updates directly while giving carriers the ability to create custom apps and hubs for the their customers.

The reality of Windows Phone is that it will cost carriers less in support, will cause less technical issues, and will not have the same kind of high demands as Apple. This is why Verizon is going all in. The corporate sales guy I know has said to me that VZW's goal is to have over 50% of all their smartphone sales be WP8 devices by the end of next year. They will be particularly pushing to move iPhone users with special offers. The money saved by having more WP8 subscribers will help their bottom line and also allow them to spend even more on enhancing their network.

This is the pitch MS made to VZW earlier this year for an enhanced presence and they loved what they saw.

And for carriers like Samsung, it will cost less to license WP8 for a device than the patent fees they pay MS right now on their Android devices.

I fully expect an onslaught of ads at the end of the year and exclusive offers for those who switch to Windows Phone as enticements. VZW wants to populate their stores with WP8 devices and lower the amount of Android devices they carry.

If Verizon was really gung ho on WP8, I think they would have the 920. If it's really an Exclusive to ATT (and do we know this for sure), then I do not get the logic with Nokia. Why would you do this when Verizon is a bigger and seen as better carrier. If ATT said its Exclusive or nothing, then why not just say fine and go to Verizon.

I would think it would make more sense to get the 920, seen as the best device so far, onto as many carriers as possible. This not only helps Nokia, but it would be a huge life for the OS.

I am not all that keen on the HTC devices, I have Verizon, so unfortunately, I will not be getting a WP8 phone any time soon. HTC will release the 8X, which really isnt all that great, and then release a better phone a month or so later.

While I understand that no matter when you get a phone, right around the corner one with better specs comes out. But Im not going to rush out and by a phone just to have the new OS. I want a phone I will truly be pleased with this time around. I settled for a Trophy last time, and Im not going to settle for something like that again. I will hold out hope that a truly great phone will hit Verizon eventually.
 

Reflexx

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If Verizon was really gung ho on WP8, I think they would have the 920. If it's really an Exclusive to ATT (and do we know this for sure), then I do not get the logic with Nokia. Why would you do this when Verizon is a bigger and seen as better carrier. If ATT said its Exclusive or nothing, then why not just say fine and go to Verizon.



I would think it would make more sense to get the 920, seen as the best device so far, onto as many carriers as possible. This not only helps Nokia, but it would be a huge life for the OS.



I am not all that keen on the HTC devices, I have Verizon, so unfortunately, I will not be getting a WP8 phone any time soon. HTC will release the 8X, which really isnt all that great, and then release a better phone a month or so later.



While I understand that no matter when you get a phone, right around the corner one with better specs comes out. But Im not going to rush out and by a phone just to have the new OS. I want a phone I will truly be pleased with this time around. I settled for a Trophy last time, and Im not going to settle for something like that again. I will hold out hope that a truly great phone will hit Verizon eventually.

It's likely tied to a level of promotion that the carrier is willing to do for the phone. If AT&T is willing to market the 920 as THE phone for a few months, that is better than it just sitting amongst the crowd on the shelf at two carriers.
 

DaveGx

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Don't count on carriers not being fussed about it.

Android costs them a lot of extra money annually due to support issues. Google updates the OS, but the carriers have to work on deployment. They also have to do tech support issues, most of them stemming from interface differences between the manufacturers. There's now also concern about the platform due to the Samsung lawsuit.

iPhone is also expensive due to Apple's demands on the carriers.

Then back to the Samsung suit - the carriers may not pay mind to WP8, but manufacturers will in increasing numbers. MS can offer them protection from Apple's lawsuits.

But ultimately, the WP8 model is probably the one that helps the carriers the most. They have a big partner that requires the consistent ecosystem of the OS be maintained. MS will deploy OS updates directly while giving carriers the ability to create custom apps and hubs for the their customers.

The reality of Windows Phone is that it will cost carriers less in support, will cause less technical issues, and will not have the same kind of high demands as Apple. This is why Verizon is going all in. The corporate sales guy I know has said to me that VZW's goal is to have over 50% of all their smartphone sales be WP8 devices by the end of next year. They will be particularly pushing to move iPhone users with special offers. The money saved by having more WP8 subscribers will help their bottom line and also allow them to spend even more on enhancing their network.

This is the pitch MS made to VZW earlier this year for an enhanced presence and they loved what they saw.

And for carriers like Samsung, it will cost less to license WP8 for a device than the patent fees they pay MS right now on their Android devices.

I fully expect an onslaught of ads at the end of the year and exclusive offers for those who switch to Windows Phone as enticements. VZW wants to populate their stores with WP8 devices and lower the amount of Android devices they carry.

It's likely tied to a level of promotion that the carrier is willing to do for the phone. If AT&T is willing to market the 920 as THE phone for a few months, that is better than it just sitting amongst the crowd on the shelf at two carriers.

Do you really believe that the 920 would have a problem selling? It has already been hyped up and I dont think there is chance it would not be sold out.

The move not to get it onto more carriers, is a foolish one, for all parties really.

MS really needs the best phone to be on all carriers, especially Verizon, as its seen as the best carrier in the states. They need WP8 to succeed, and that would give it its best chance.
Verizon should realize that the 920 is really THE phone for WP8. They very well could lose business to people willing to switch to ATT for it.
 

squire777

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I wonder if MS pushed HTC to make their flagship phone available on the three networks to get more market presence. If that is the case then maybe they will push Nokia in the same manner to get the 920 out on the three networks like the 8X. I can only hope...
 

psiu_glen

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I wonder if MS pushed HTC to make their flagship phone available on the three networks to get more market presence. If that is the case then maybe they will push Nokia in the same manner to get the 920 out on the three networks like the 8X. I can only hope...
I am on Verizon...will be paying retail someday to replace my Trophy...it likely won't be the 8X. If the camera on the 920 is as good as promised, I will be waiting for VZW to get it.
 

Vallos

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I am on Verizon...will be paying retail someday to replace my Trophy...it likely won't be the 8X. If the camera on the 920 is as good as promised, I will be waiting for VZW to get it.
That is basically what I'm going to do, as the camera/pureview on the 920 is the ultimate benchmark for my next phone. The number one compliant I have with my Trophy is the camera. I've passed on so many good photo opportunities because of it. If the 920 is as advertised (which all signs point to it being so), then I am all over it.
 

Big Supes

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What leverage does Nokia have to get 'aggressive' with carriers? None as far as I can see.

I did wonder this myself. Maybe they could start sending the heavies round to make/break their deals. :D

I think the consumers need to get aggressive with their carriers. I've pretty much decided I'm ditching O2. They're so far up Apple's behind at the moment, that it's actually effecting the customer service. I phoned them yesterday and got a long pre-recorded message about how to go about upgrading to an iPhone 5. I hung up and went online to see if I could get help (I required a new micro sim). Can you believe that when I was answering questions related to my enquiry, two out of the three options were "I want to upgrade to the iPhone 5" and "I am interested in the iPhone 5. The last option was "None of the above". I was like - WTF is this sh*t?

In the meantime, they don't even stock the Lumia 710 or 900. I won't count on them for Wp8.
 

jfa1

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HTC 8X: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, but not US Cellular.
Lumia 920: AT&T exclusive.
Ativ S: Deafening silence on availability.

Here's a threat. If nobody brings a flagship device to [edit]US Cellular[/edit], I may switch to the Galaxy S3. I don't want to, but I do want nice hardware. US Cellular came out with a very enthusiastic press release about WP8 about how excited they were for the OS and how they were going to market it and promote the **** out of it...and so far, the WP8 OEMs have utterly ignored them. Samsung gave them the Galaxy S3.

If the WP8 OEMs don't branch out beyond the Big Three (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) with WP8 devices...I'm sure I won't be the only one looking elsewhere.

The device maker makes deals with whatever carrier they want to with the carriers contributing theiwalets. If the price is what the oem is willing to accept then a deal is done. The ball is in the carriers wallets and who they they are able to persuade with that wallet to give them what they want or are willing to accept. If not they may get someother device from that or a different oem. Money talks and b s walks aay.
 

brmiller1976

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I know people at AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

AT&T wants Lumia 920s. T-Mobile would LOVE to have the 920, but cannot afford to outbid an AT&T "exclusive." And Sprint doesn't care about anything other than iOS and Android.

Ultimately, there's no reason Nokia couldn't get the 920 on every carrier. They have more financial resources and greater buzz than Palm did when Palm brought the Pre series to Sprint, Verizon and AT&T.
 

Simon Tupper

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I really hope that Nokia is going to be working hard to get at least a Lumia 920 per carrier, but I can already see more ATIV s than Lumia 920 in Canadian carriers, it is Apple and Samsung all the way up here.
 

cckgz4

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Y'all know US wise, Samsung had all of their phones on AT&T right? Y'all think this time around is going to be different, with one device?
 

squire777

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During Elop's live Q&A today, someone asked about the 1700mhz being absent on the 920:



Joseph Volpe 4:12 AM

Why doesn't the 920 have 1700 MHz band? (o0260o)



Stephen Elop 4:13 AM

Good question. Again, we made design tradeoffs based on the different consumer and operator interests. We have to be very deliberate about these choices because of the interplay of antennas and other things in the device. We'll keep watching this to gauge demand.





I don't know what to make of that. I would say that he might be implying that it is going to be an exclusive (to AT&T) but the Verizon rumors would say otherwise.

Also, possible that he is implying that a 1700mhz compatible 920 might come along down the road.
 

jfa1

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HTC 8X: Verizon, AT&T, and T-Mobile, but not US Cellular.
Lumia 920: AT&T exclusive.
Ativ S: Deafening silence on availability.

Here's a threat. If nobody brings a flagship device to [edit]US Cellular[/edit], I may switch to the Galaxy S3. I don't want to, but I do want nice hardware. US Cellular came out with a very enthusiastic press release about WP8 about how excited they were for the OS and how they were going to market it and promote the **** out of it...and so far, the WP8 OEMs have utterly ignored them. Samsung gave them the Galaxy S3.

If the WP8 OEMs don't branch out beyond the Big Three (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) with WP8 devices...I'm sure I won't be the only one looking elsewhere.

If US Cellular wants it THEY have to woo the oems HTC Nokia etc to get it THEY have put their moolah where their mouth is! THEY have to bring it! And they have said they will. And they have built up their nationwide LTE network for WP8 and other devices to use so it should not be a problem.
 

jfa1

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I know people at AT&T, Sprint and T-Mobile.

AT&T wants Lumia 920s. T-Mobile would LOVE to have the 920, but cannot afford to outbid an AT&T "exclusive." And Sprint doesn't care about anything other than iOS and Android.

Ultimately, there's no reason Nokia couldn't get the 920 on every carrier. They have more financial resources and greater buzz than Palm did when Palm brought the Pre series to Sprint, Verizon and AT&T.

Nokia I am sure would love to have the device on all four or five major carriers THEY have to want it enough to pay what Nokia wants for the devices! If the carriers wont pay (think Sprint and ...) it wont happen The carriers have to step up and grab it.
 

thed

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I don't know what to make of that. I would say that he might be implying that it is going to be an exclusive (to AT&T) but the Verizon rumors would say otherwise.
As I posted in another thread somewhere else, I'm not yet ready to believe the Verizon rumors. As far as I can tell it all comes from one site, using one person as a source. Unless someone else confirms Verizon, I think you might be right about Elop implying an ATT exclusive.
 

Daniel Ratcliffe

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I did wonder this myself. Maybe they could start sending the heavies round to make/break their deals. :D

I think the consumers need to get aggressive with their carriers. I've pretty much decided I'm ditching O2. They're so far up Apple's behind at the moment, that it's actually effecting the customer service. I phoned them yesterday and got a long pre-recorded message about how to go about upgrading to an iPhone 5. I hung up and went online to see if I could get help (I required a new micro sim). Can you believe that when I was answering questions related to my enquiry, two out of the three options were "I want to upgrade to the iPhone 5" and "I am interested in the iPhone 5. The last option was "None of the above". I was like - WTF is this sh*t?

In the meantime, they don't even stock the Lumia 710 or 900. I won't count on them for Wp8.

I am so glad I buy my phones unlocked from Carphone Warehouse. They seem keen on WP8 from what I can tell. Buy phone carrier unlocked, pop my 3 SIM in (****, I need to get a micro-SIM!) and away I go.
 

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