Nokia is still staying frustratingly tight-lipped regarding its plans for the two new Windows Phone 8 devices it launched last week, but that hasn’t stopped the rumour mill from churning out hints of what is to come. Days after it emerged that the new flagship Lumia 920 is expected to launch on AT&T in the United States on November 2, information is continuing to drip out about launch plans for the device on the other side of the Atlantic too.
Quoting anonymous but informed sources, The Financial Times reports that Everything Everywhere – the joint venture overseeing the T-Mobile and Orange brands in the United Kingdom – will exclusively launch the Lumia 920 in the UK. An official announcement could come as early as tomorrow – Everything Everywhere will be hosting a press conference at 0900 BST to launch its new 4G LTE service, making it the first 4G provider in the UK. It"s also believed that the company could be launching a spin-off brand to market 4G as the next big thing.
Previous reports suggest that the Lumia 920 will debut in Europe around the same time as in the US, which would make the new Windows Phone one of the first 4G devices available in the UK, providing a major marketing boost for the device in the tech-hungry British market. But Nokia won’t have it all to itself – the new iPhone, due to be announced on Wednesday, is expected to go on sale as soon as September 21, several weeks ahead of the new Lumia’s expected launch.
Much will hinge on the timing of Everything Everywhere’s 4G launch, of course. While its service will be announced tomorrow, a nationwide 4G network doesn’t simply launch overnight, and it’s been only a few weeks since the company got the official thumbs-up from the UK telecommunications regulator, Ofcom, to launch its 4G services, by converting some of its existing 3G spectrum.
Neowin will be at the Everything Everywhere 4G announcement tomorrow, so be sure to check back with us tomorrow to get all the latest on the UK’s first 4G service… and hopefully confirmation that the Lumia 920 is headed to the UK too!
Source: FT.com via Trusted Reviews