Verizon, Sprint to offer new Windows Phone 8 models
There were two big Windows Phone-related announcements today at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) in Las Vegas. — First, Samsung said that the ATIV Odyssey will go on sale at Verizon Wireless in the “coming weeks.”
Context & Ripple Effects
Verizon had signaled a broader Windows Phone 8 lineup in 2012, following earlier uncertainty over whether it would materially support the platform. The carrier's move from that multiple-Windows-Phone commitment to a named Samsung device gives that support a concrete retail product, while Sprint's participation extends the platform's carrier presence.
Samsung and HTC had previously supplied AT&T's Windows Phone range in 2011. Adding Samsung hardware at Verizon shifts Windows Phone distribution away from a single-carrier concentration and makes carrier shelf space a more important test of vendor commitment.
First-order effects
- Samsung's ATIV Odyssey is set to reach Verizon Wireless in the coming weeks, giving Verizon a specific Windows Phone 8 handset to sell.
- Sprint's new Windows Phone 8 offering expands the platform's immediate U.S. carrier availability beyond Verizon's lineup.
Second-order effects
- Verizon's addition gives Samsung another U.S. carrier channel for Windows Phone hardware, after its earlier AT&T Windows Phone launches.
- Windows Phone buyers gain more carrier choice, raising the pressure on Verizon and Sprint to distinguish their handset selection and service terms rather than leaving the platform to one operator.
Third-order effects
- If Verizon and Sprint continue adding devices, Windows Phone's U.S. position will depend less on a single carrier's backing and more on whether handset makers can sustain multi-carrier portfolios.
- The announcement points to carrier distribution—not operating-system availability alone—as the structural gatekeeper for a third smartphone platform in the U.S.
The trend: Windows Phone is pursuing U.S. scale through broader carrier and handset-vendor distribution rather than reliance on a single operator's lineup.