T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T are reluctant to major updates

Feb 11, 2015 11:00 GMT  ·  By

Microsoft is still trying to break iOS and Android monopoly over the smartphone market in the United States, but they are not supported by carriers.

As much as the company had tried to lure carriers with low prices for its Windows Phone handsets, it pretty much looks like they have lost the battle.

Recently, T-Mobile USA announced that it had no plans for any Windows Phone updates except for Lumia 521 and Lumia 925, while Verizon announced today it would finally release the long-awaited Windows Phone 8.1 and Denim updates for Lumia Icon.  

  The problem of really later or never to come Windows Phone updates can’t be put on Microsoft. All carriers in the United States have delayed the release of major Windows Phone updates for reasons that we can only speculate on.

T-Mobile and Verizon are just two examples of how Windows Phone is perceived by US carriers, but here is another one that makes a “better” job at completely ignoring Microsoft’s OS.

Sprint is the only major carrier in the US that only offers one Windows Phone handset, Samsung ATIV S Neo. This would have been the second if Sprint hadn’t discontinued the HTC 8XT, which fortunately got its Windows Phone 8.1 update.

AT&T is the only carrier that offers a wider range of Windows Phone devices, but when it comes to software updates they are coming way later than they should.

For updates, Preview for Developers seems the only solution

The fact that Microsoft announced that Windows 10 for phones would be compatible with most Windows Phone 8 smartphones raises the question: what will happen with Windows Phone 8 handsets discontinued by US carriers?

The answer may be Preview for Developers application, which enables access to the latest preview build for free. However, this solution does not make things easier for customers who purchase Windows Phone handsets after being promised by Microsoft that they will be getting updates for a very long time.

United States is one of the most important markets for Microsoft when it comes to Windows Phone, but without the help of carriers this OS is doomed to fail; or at least in the US.

As to why US carriers show this lack of interest when it comes to selling Windows Phone handsets and offering updates on time, the main reason is probably low sales. In fact this should be the only factor that carriers and retailers should take into consideration.