TMo to offer Nokia Lumia 710 for just $50
Price will target featurephone upgrade market, but the real Lumia debut will come with an AT&T or Verizon deal, and LTE
Published: 14 December, 2011
READ MORE: US | Nokia | Handset | Windows Phone
As expected, Nokia will re-enter the US handset market via T-Mobile, which will offer the midrange WP7 model, the Lumia 710. This fits in with TMo's strategy of stealing a march on its bigger rivals by adopting new platforms early, as it did with Android, and it will push the 710 as a differentiated option for its important prepaid base. However, Nokia knows that, to gain elusive presence in the US, it will need a deal with Verizon or AT&T, and will have to find a slot for its higher end Lumia 800, probably in an LTE version.
For now, though, at least it will have the chance to test the waters for Lumia in a market which has always eluded it, but without the risk of a high profile LTE launch. And the well priced, midmarket smartphone is a segment in which Nokia excels, as seen in the keen pricing for the TMo offering, at $49.99 after a $50 rebate and with contract.
The aim is to target featurephone users who want their first smartphone - the main growth market for handset makers in developed markets, but one which is highly competitive, especially with low cost Android players like ZTE and LG in the frame. However, while the 710 may not make the impact of a superphone debut, it does have 150m US users, those without smartphones, to target, on the back of a TMo brand which is strong in the affordable sector.
Both AT&T and Verizon are reported to be in talks with Nokia about their own Lumia launches, but are likely to wait for customized variants and probably LTE connectivity. Those deals, if they materialize, will be the real coming out party for Nokia - and to some extent, WP7 - in the US. In the meantime, TMo will help seed the market with a good price.
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