There are news reports surfacing that European carriers are keeping their distance from Nokia’s Lumia smartphone line – despite the Windows-powered phone’s apparent success in the United States.
One unnamed executive from a European carrier told Reuters that customers there do not request a smartphone operating on Windows when they come into retail stores. In fact, European cell phone carriers contend Nokia’s Lumia “would be much easier to sell” if it operated on the Android operating system, according to Reuters.
The phones are not being promoted in Europe either, according to ZDNet. Reuters reported how one salesperson in a France Telecom store offered iPhones, then Android handsets to customers. In addition, the Lumia phones were not being displayed prominently in the store.
The European carriers contend the handsets are too expensive and note the bugs which have impacted the phone’s software, according to Reuters.
Reuters also claims that four “major telecom operators” in Europe told them the Lumia smartphones cannot compete with Apple's iPhone or Samsung's Galaxy phones. The Lumia phones went on sale before Christmas in Europe.
On the other hand, AT&T has been selling the Lumia 900 for two weeks in the United States and its sales there are “strong,” the company told Reuters.
In some circles, Nokia’s Lumia 900 phones are being championed as key to the future success of the Windows Mobile Phone, according to a recent report from TechZone 360.
Still, Nokia released an update to remedy a software glitch found in the phone soon after its release. Nokia is also giving out a credit for $100 on AT&T bills if users have already or will purchase the phone by April 21, TechZone 360 adds. That makes the phone free of charge if it’s purchased before the deal expires.
In the United States, AT&T is selling the Lumia 900 for $99.99 with a two-year contract. AT&T said the Lumia 900 had sold out in many of its stores. Also, T-Mobile is finding the Lumia 710 is selling well, too, Reuters said.
At the recent Consumer Electronics Show, the Nokia Lumia 900 won the Best of CES 2012 award. Several other industry awards were given to the phone, too.
Yet, Nokia remains troubled. The Wall Street Journal reports that Moody's recently reduced Nokia to just above the “junk” debt ranking. Moody’s noted the recent fall in mobile-phone sales and that many rival phones were being sold on the low-end.
Overall, Lumia is predicted by Moody’s to be the third-ranked smartphone after the Android from Google and iOS from Apple, The Journal added.
Edited by
Jennifer Russell 
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