14 DAY TRIAL // Finnish mobile phone maker Nokia is known to be focused a lot on making its Ovi Store available on as many markets as possible, so that it becomes one of the most popular software solution portals around the world. One thing that would help the company in its quest is the support the storefront would have from wireless carriers around the globe, and one that seems set to soon make a move in this direction is AT&T in the United States.
The two companies have already launched a wide range of handsets together, which shows their close relationship, and it seems that the mobile phone operators will also launch support for the Ovi Store in the near future. Niklas Savander, Nokia's executive vice president of services, stated in a recent interview with Cnet that the two companies are currently focused on the final details of the deal.
According to Nokia, AT&T already said back in May that it would offer carrier billing for Ovi Store before the end of the ongoing year. Here's what Savander commented on why AT&T hadn't already launched it, “You might be able to look at this and say that perhaps the business conditions have not been attractive enough to AT&T. It's hard to dispute that. You can't say it's because the device is not good enough or the service is not good enough.”
There are two months left before the year's end, and one should agree that AT&T and Nokia have enough time to get all things right and to announce the launch of the application portal in the US with AT&T support. However, no official time frame for the release has been announced until now, though the two companies are moving closer towards the launch.
According to Niklas Savander, as soon as the duo launch the service, it will be co-branded. “The brands are not in any way conflicting, but they're complimentary. They will be visible on the devices, so we can create a setup where both parties' assets are being valued and there is a fair exchange. But you never know how it will eventually turn out until you have the ink on the paper,” he stated.