SAN DIEGO – Nokia is trying to bring Windows Phones to multiple U.S. carriers, Nokia's president for the Americas, Chris Weber, told PCMag at the CTIA trade show today.
"Take your favorite carrier, and we'll focus on them," Weber said. "We're focused on the operators we think we can have the most success on … a broad set of operators is what we're focused on."
Weber refused to rule out CDMA carriers Sprint and Verizon, or even "tier 2" prepaid carriers as customers for Nokia Windows Phones. Nokia hasn't made smartphones for CDMA radio networks since 2005.
"I definitely think it's an opportunity for us we are evaluating," Weber said of the idea of prepaid Nokia Windows Phones in the United States.
Weber dodged a lot of questions about the specifics of Nokia's Windows Phones, except to say that he was using one as his own primary cell phone and that he will attend Nokia World on October 25, where the new line of devices is expected to be announced.
But he had some positive words to say about Nokia's N9, the slab-style smartphone that is rumored to be the hardware template for Nokia's "Sea Ray" Windows device.
"When people see that form factor, the screen, the industrial design of it, it's differentiated from what's in the marketplace today," he said.
More Than Just Phones
When Nokia CEO Stephen Elop announced in February that his company was switching to all Windows Phones, he said Nokia had a special relationship with Microsoft – and indeed, Weber talked about fixing parts of the Windows Phone software and marketing experiences that other manufacturers have largely left up to Microsoft.
"In hardware, software and accessories, we'll play big. You'll see some very cool and unique accessories we'll come out with … and we are doing some unique things around content and apps," he said.
Weber also said Nokia will wade knee-deep into Windows Phone's well-known sales problems. For instance, when PCMag did some secret shopping this summer, we found carrier salespeople were sometimes confused by and sometimes outright hostile to Windows Phones.
Weber said he was open to Nokia directly providing "training, incentives and device seeding" to carrier employees to get them more enthusiastic and familiar with Nokia Windows Phones. In the mobile-phone sales world, "incentives" is often a code word for cash commissions.
"We own that responsibility … Microsoft has an investment to make to make sure people are familiar with the WP platform. But really landing the uniqueness, the differentiation, the device, the user experiences? That's us."
We're sure to hear more in London on October 25, as Weber repeated several times that full details on Nokia's U.S. Windows phone strategy were coming "soon."
"I wish I could share more," Weber said.