Verizon isn’t expected to be part of the joint Windows Phone event Nokia and Microsoft have scheduled for Sept. 5 in New York City, but that doesn’t mean it won’t participate in the rollout of Nokia’s Windows Phone 8 handsets.
Sources familiar with Verizon’s plans tell Bloomberg that the carrier intends to add one of Nokia’s Windows Phone 8 devices to its lineup later this year. Verizon’s move to diversify its Android and iPhone-heavy smartphone portfolio is both inevitable and expected. Earlier this year, Nokia’s vice president of worldwide developer relations, Richard Kerris, told Neowin that it wouldn’t be long before Nokia’s Windows Phones appear on Verizon.
For Nokia, which has suffered a precipitous decline in smartphone market share in the U.S. for the past few years, having its newest Windows Phone devices on a carrier of Verizon’s size could be real boon, giving it the momentum it needs to support its long-in-the-offing comeback.