Verizon could give Nokia a much-needed boost
Colin Gibbs- Friday, January 25, 2013
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The Verge is reporting that Verizon Wireless plans to offer a high-end Nokia handset that offers features similar to the manufacturer’s Lumia 920. The Nokia Laser, as it is dubbed, will be a flagship device for Verizon and will be backed by aggressive marketing from both the carrier and Microsoft.
A high-profile ad campaign would provide a huge lift for Nokia, which continues to struggle as it churns out Windows Phone handsets. The company’s shares fell this week despite posting its first quarterly profit in two years, and All Things D‘s Ina Fried reported yesterday that Nokia owes Microsoft more money than it expects to make in “platform support payments” for producing Windows Phone handsets. Meanwhile, Nokia’s status as the dominant Windows Phone provider is eroding as manufacturers such HTC and Samsung join Microsoft’s bandwagon.
Verizon has the deep pockets and the marketing savvy to boost smartphone sales in a big way, as it proved with its impressive Droid campaign in the early days of Android. And that’s the kind of lift Nokia desperately needs as Windows Phone begins to gain some traction.
