It was reported that Microsoft could be considering lowering the prices on the license that OEMs would have to purchase if they wished to install Windows Phone on their devices. This is considered to be a barrier of entry for some OEMs since not all OEMs have the necessary resources to invest.
Not to mention that given Windows Phone’s position in the market right now, not everyone is that eager to invest their money into the platform. That being said, it seems that Microsoft is doing everything they can to get OEMs on board because according to a report from The Times of India, they claim that Microsoft will be offering Windows Phone to Indian OEMs for free.
According to a senior executive at an Indian phone company, “For our planned Windows Phone handsets, we are not paying Microsoft a licence fee. The company is obviously exploring new models for Windows Phone. It must have realized that the older model where it licenced the OS did not work out well, even with Nokia’s support.”
Another senior executive later adds, “Free Windows Phone is part of a strategic partnership. For both Microsoft and us, it is an experiment. Windows Phone still doesn’t have lot of appeal in the market but now that it doesn’t have any licence fee, it becomes easier for us to experiment with it.”
While Microsoft did not outright confirm this, a Microsoft spokesperson was quoted as saying, “We have extensive programmes to help our partners build great devices. Our licensing model allows us to partner with OEMs across the world.”
Perhaps Microsoft did not care to confirm this because it might have an impact on their other OEMs who might have to pay, but either way it is a good strategy and we guess we’ll just have to wait and see if this will work out for Microsoft in the end.
Filed in . Read more about Microsoft and Windows Phone.