14 DAY TRIAL // As Microsoft’s Windows Phone operating system is gaining increased market share around the world, more and more companies are showing their support for the platform.
Wireless carrier Three UK is one of them, as the company has just announced plans to put more effort into pushing devices running under the platform to the front.
This is not the first time that the operator unveils plans to market Windows Phone devices more than before. Last week, it said that it would adopt it as its third OS in its lineup.
A piece published today on Mobile News claims that Three’s head of devices Brendan Arndt has confirmed that Windows Phone will see increased interest from users at any kind of price point.
“Windows Phone will take time to compete in the high-end as well as lower price points, but it is here to stay,” he said.
At the same time, he also said that Three was determined to increase the display area for Windows Phone devices in all of its stores.
What’s more, the wireless carrier is determined to add even more devices running under Microsoft’s platform, including a tablet PC.
“Currently there is not a lot of space in store for Windows Phone but this year this will change, and we will stock a WP tablet, probably an eight-inch one,” he said.
In addition to confirming plans to push Windows Phone to the front, the wireless operator also said that they might soon completely remove BlackBerry handsets from their lineup.
This is not something new either, since BlackBerry has seen lower and lower demand during the past few years, and Three UK said before that it might not be too long before it removed devices powered by this OS from its stores.
At the moment, the carrier provides its users with the possibility to buy BlackBerry Z10, Q10 and Curve 9320 devices on its network. They did not, however, add the BlackBerry Z30 smartphone to the offering.
“We will know by the end of the year whether to drop BlackBerry. We are not ready to make that decision yet, as there is still demand, but it is mainly for the keyboard devices [Q10, Curve 9320] as it is the only manufacturer still making them,” Arndt reportedly said.
Soon, more Windows Phone handsets will arrive on shelves, many coming from manufacturers new to the ecosystem, and it remains to be seen how many of them will be released at Three UK too, and how well they will fare, so stay tuned.