Orange exec says the future of Windows Phone depends on Nokia

Orange is one of the biggest carrier with presence all around the world - from Europe to the Middle East and even Africa. It’s a key factor for the success of Windows Phone, but up until now, the support for Microsoft’s platform on the side of the carrier hasn’t resulted in user adoption. Quite the contrary.

Senior VP of devices and mobile multimedia at Orange Yves Maitre shared with CNET that Windows Phone is in fact the lowest-selling platform on the carrier’s European, Middle Easter and African lineups. Its sales put it Android, which has the most sales, iOS and BlackBerry, which Orange says has strong sales.

"Honestly, it hasn't been as successful as we expected," he commented on Windows Phone. He was very specific about the biggest factor for the future success of Microsoft’s platform - Nokia’s unveiling of new devices next week at Nokia World, which could well be renamed to Windows World given the anticiapted announcements.

Customers are also waiting for those new smartphones as Espoo is expected to bring the "pure Microsoft experience."

But make no mistake - Nokia World next Wednesday will be watched closely by carriers as well, who’d have to decide on their spending to support the brand and Microsoft’s platform.

Nokia has been very specific about its upcoming Windows Phone lineup - it will initially only launch in select markets, so that others where Symbian sales are strong don’t get disturbed, chief executive Stephen Elop himself noted. North America is of very high priority, but Yves Maitre says that it will be Europe that will be the decisive factor: "If Nokia/Microsoft is not successful in Europe, then it will be tough in other countries."

Until the big announcement comes, Orange remains tepidly optimistic. The carrier, though, knows the value of the Nokia brand: “When you have a Nokia phone, it's like you're driving a Mercedes Benz," Maitre said.