When Microsoft announced their plans to acquire Nokia, it was pretty sudden and surprising, given that Nokia wasn’t exactly a struggling company, but we guess it sort of makes sense since Microsoft and Nokia have a pretty tight relationship, partly in thanks to Nokia’s then-CEO, Stephen Elop. So with the acquisition underway, how do some of the major carriers feel about the deal? Is this a good sign of things to come for the Windows Phone platform, or are they skeptical? Surprisingly for the most part, carriers (and OEMs) were supportive of the deal.
Speaking to FierceWireless, AT&T Mobility President and CEO, Ralph de la Vega, was quoted as saying, “I’m excited to see that happen and I hope it accelerates the adoption of Microsoft Windows, which I think is a great operating system and this combination makes it better.” Steve Elfman, president of network operations and wholesale at Sprint, was enthusiastic about the deal as well, stating that he hopes Windows Phone will be able to achieve at least 10% of the market with this acquisition and with Microsoft’s backing. What do you guys think? Will the Windows Phone platform be stronger than ever because of this?