Microsoft will only have
AT&T to lean on in the US when it comes to its new flagship smartphones.
Verizon
Wireless, T-Mobile and Sprint have no intention to sell either the Lumia 950 or Lumia 950 XL,
according to people
familiar with the carriers' plans. AT&T said on Tuesday
that it would offer the Lumia 950, but hasn't commented on the Lumia 950 XL.
The
Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL represent the first flagship Windows-powered
smartphones in more than a year and a half, as well as the first marquee
products under Microsoft, which acquired Nokia's devices business last year.
The phones are the Redmond, Washington, software giant's latest attempt to keep
Windows relevant in the smartphone world.
A
launch on multiple carriers would have offered wider distribution and a chance
to introduce the Lumia phones to more consumers. Instead, Microsoft will
concentrate its efforts on a partnership with AT&T.
Microsoft
said on Tuesday that its deal with AT&T isn't exclusive, opening the door for other carriers to
sell one of the two smartphones. The company also said that it has been talking
to the other US carriers. But none of the others are biting.
T-Mobile
CEO John Legere tweeted late Wednesday that T-Mobile didn't turn down the
Windows smartphones, but that Microsoft offered it to AT&T.
"If
Microsoft wakes up, we'll talk about T-Mobile carrying," he tweeted.
Microsoft
does plan to work with AT&T to build "connected table" displays
at the carrier stores to show off how its Lumia phones can connect with
Windows-powered PCs and the Surface Pro tablets, according to Tuula Rytila, who
runs phone marketing for Microsoft.
"Partnering
with AT&T is executing on that focus (on areas where Microsoft believes it
can win) and we're very happy to work them," she said in an interview.
In the
US, the Lumia smartphones have typically launched on a single carrier, tied by
an exclusive deal. But over the past few years, rivals such as Apple, Samsung,
LG and HTC have opted to sell its smartphones across multiple US carriers.
Microsoft will also offer the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL as an unlocked
smartphone that will be able to run on AT&T or T-Mobile.
source: cnet
