The Handset maker, Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK), in a move to boost the sales of its new Lumia phones, based on Microsoft Corporation’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) Windows phone 8 operating system plans an alliance with Verizon Communications Inc. (NYSE:VZ).
With a partnership with Verizon Communication Inc. (NYSE:VZ), the Finnish company could boast of having three of the top 4 U.S. carriers offering Lumia handsets. In a win-win deal for both, Verizon will also benefit, as it will be able to spread its offering, which currently depends solely on on Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL)’s iPhone and other Android-based phones.
The alliance if formed will provide a much required push that Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) needs to gain its lost market share to the rival, Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) and other smartphone manufacturers, which are based on Google Inc’s. (NASDAQ:GOOG) Android platform. In January this year, Nokia roped in T-Mobile USA to launch a Lumia series of smartphones in the U.S., then in April, the handset maker partnered with AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) to sell its first LTE phone, Lumia 900. Both AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) and T-Mobile USA will be selling Lumia devices based on Windows phone7, except for the Lumia 900 which runs on Windows phone7.5 software.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ:MSFT) and Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) are all set to unveil the new Lumia smartphone based on Windows phone 8 on September 5, 2012, hoping to regain the lost clout, but it won’t be easy, as Microsoft only has a 3.5 percent market share, while the rivals Android and iOS hold 68.1 percent and 16.9 percent respectively. Verizon Communication Inc. is expected to offer the new device later.
According to some of the sources regarding the launch date of a smartphone based on Windows phone 8 i.e. September 5, Nokia Corporation (NYSE:NOK) may unveil two new smartphones, currently code named as ‘Arrow’ and ‘Phi’. Both the new smartphones will be under the Lumia range, with ‘Phi’ expected to be the new flagship smartphone. In terms of design, the ‘Phi’ smartphone is expected to resemble the Nokia Lumia 900 and Lumia 800, and could also have typical polycarbonate body. The other smartphone ‘Arrow’ could be offered as a mid-range Windows Phone 8, having a 4-inch or 4.3-inch display. Along with these two, Nokia is also working on a smartphone similar to Nokia Arrow codenamed ‘Atlas’, which could be a CDMA version of Arrow, to be released in the US later in the year.
