14 DAY TRIAL // Microsoft launched the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL on Tuesday and promised to make it available to buyers in the United States and the rest of the world as soon as possible through as many carriers and retailers as possible, but no specifics were provided on stage.
It turns out, however, that AT&T will be the only carrier selling the new Lumia models in the United States as part of a weird strategy that prevents others, such as T-Mobile and Verizon, from making the phones available to their customers.
After rumors in this regard reached the web a couple of days ago, Microsoft finally confirmed that in the United States, AT&T will be the only company selling the phones, while in Europe Deutsche Telekom will be the one bringing them closer to buyers.
"We're refocusing our channel strategy, narrowing it in the short-term and plan for broader operator availability longer term. While there was interest across the board from U.S. operators, currently we've made the decision to have AT&T carry the Lumia 950, and then sell both the Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL unlocked through our own channel in the Microsoft Stores," Microsoft said in a statement for ZDNet.
Microsoft needs to wake up
It's not a secret that Microsoft wants to make its devices available to as many carriers as possible, so such a strategy definitely seems odd, especially because the new Lumia models are part of an overhauled mobile approach supposed to help the company improve its performance in this side of the business.
T-Mobile CEO John Legere was one of the first to issue a comment following Microsoft's statement, explaining that his company hasn't refused to sell Lumia devices, but the Redmond-based software giant actually decided to make them AT&T exclusive. So T-Mobile can't be blamed for anything, he said, but in case “Microsoft wakes up, we'll talk about carrying,” he continued, clearly pointing out that Redmond needs to rethink its strategy for its devices.
The new Lumia models are supposed to hit the shelves in November, so Microsoft might want to rethink its strategy in the remaining weeks to make sure its phones are available to as many buyers as possible. The company has already confirmed that it’s working with more carriers on similar partnerships, but no other information has been provided for now.
To be clear: We did not turn down the new Windows devices. MSFT gave to AT&T. If @microsoft wakes up, we'll talk about @TMobile carrying
— John Legere (@JohnLegere) October 8, 2015