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.

Coming soon to Orange UK is the BlackBerry Curve 9360 in white

The BlackBerry Curve 9360 has already landed on the Orange UK network sporting the traditional black paint job but now the same smartphone will be arriving in white in the near future.

White has become increasingly popular among manufacturers when it comes to a secondary choice of color. There was the white Apple iPhone, the white HTC EVO 3D and even Samsung joined the party by making a white version of their flagship Galaxy S II. RIM has produced a few white BlackBerry handsets before and now you can add the Curve 9360 to that list.

Orange UK currently has the white BlackBerry Curve 9360 listed as coming soon. It will be free on a monthly plan. The Curve 9360 is an entry-level device that features a 2.44-inch display. It runs on the latest version of RIM’s mobile operating system, OS 7. Powering the device is a single-core 800MHz processor and 512MB of RAM.

It should be available in the near future so if a white BlackBerry Curve 9360 is of interest to you and you happen to be an Orange UK customer then stay tuned for any further information.