Verizon ready to support Windows Phone 8

Microsoft should find a new ally in the carrier Verizon to help in the distribution of their future Windows Phone 8 platform.

The launch of the Windows Phone platform has been difficult, with Microsoft’s major partner Nokia recognising that start up sales of their Lumia range of phones has been below expectations of European stock markets.

The launch of the Nokia Lumia 900, a top of the line model, in the United States by carrier AT&T should help provide the company with increased visibility in the US market where Nokia’s market share is so low that they are almost starting from zero.

But Microsoft appears to have found another ally once the next version of their platform, Windows Phone 8 "Apollo" is made available later this year. The carrier Verizon Wireless has indicated via their financial director that they will be ready to support the mobile OS once it has been released in the second half of 2012.

The argument is that same as that already pushed by Microsoft and Nokia on numerous occasions: Windows Phone will present a third ecosystem to Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. Verizon should therefore distribute Windows 8 smartphones during the end of year period with the carrier even looking to help improve the platforms visibility in the same way that they did in 2009 for Android when launching the Motorola Droid smartphone.

It was from the launch of this device using Android 2.0 as the operating system which corrected the issues found in the initial release that smartphones using this OS started to really take off, leading to their current success that everyone now knows.

At the time, the Droid was being pushed as a good alternative to the iPhone which was available exclusively at AT&T, with Verizon therefore blocked from its distribution. Microsoft is therefore hoping that the Windows Phone will be pushed in the same way, presenting the advantages of their system.