AT&T Confirms Discussion With Nokia For a Windows Phone 7 Offer in 2012

Tweet

AT&T has confirmed that the network is in discussions with Nokia to possibly offer a Windows Phone 7 powered Nokia device to be announced by CES in 2012. What smartphone, device or other tablet could Nokia and AT&T be pursuing?

Our own Steve Andersen pointed out a few days back that AT&T is rumored to be in talks with Nokia for a possible partnership, particularly that the two companies are working on a Windows Phone. But we won’t have to wait until CES 2012 to confirm this, as AT&T has confirmed the talks themselves. Glenn Lurie, AT&T tablet unit head has disclosed that the carrier is working on the final details of a deal that wil bring Nokia’s Windows Phone 7 powered devices to the U.S.

“We look at every promotional period separately and decide what we’re going to spend our dollars on and what we’re going to put our efforts in,” Lurie says in an interview with Bloomberg Business Week. However, they have no exact details to announce yet.

And so even with the rumors being confirmed, the speculations now are on what kind of handset or device will be offered. Rumors are that Nokia will be offering a variant of the WP7 Mango-powered Lumia, which is more powerful and that supports 4G LTE connections. Nokia has actually commented on these rumors earlier this week, in particular neither confirming nor denying that they are planning to produce a Windows 8-powered tablet. However, a promotional video inadvertently leaked on Nokia’s YouTube channel indicates that the company may be developing a Windows Phone handset with a 4-inch screen that is rumored to be the “Nokia Ace.”

Will a partnership with AT&T for WP7 or Windows 8 devices help boost Nokia’s presence in the United States? CES 2012 is just around the corner, and we’ll see how excited the market gets with Mango-powered, LTE-capable Nokia smartphones by then.