By Sven Grundberg
STOCKHOLM--Nokia Corp. (NOK) said operators and retailers in
several countries will announce plans to sell Nokia's new Lumia
smartphones Thursday, but gave no detail on pricing and
availability.
Operators in Australia were first to announce that they will
sell the Nokia's new Windows-running Lumia smartphones. Australia's
Telstra will be selling Nokia's flagship device, the Lumia 920,
while Vodafone and Optus Business will sell the more affordable
Lumia 820 device.
However, it still remains unclear what Nokia's new devices will
cost and when they will hit shelves. Nokia's Australian press staff
said pricing and availability details will be announced at the end
of October.
Nokia said it expects more operator and retailer announcements
in the coming weeks and reiterated that its new smartphones will
launch in select markets before the end of the year.
Nokia's launch of the new Windows 8 phones earlier this month
was highly anticipated, but a lack of detailed information about
the sales and marketing plan disappointed investors.
At 0701 GMT Nokia's shares traded 1.9% higher at EUR2.04.
Write to Sven Grundberg at sven.grundberg@dowjones.com
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