If a new rumor is to be believed, Nokia is taking steps to release a version of its Windows Phone-based Lumia 800 smartphone that will finally have support for the faster LTE wireless networks. News.com reports via unnamed sources that Nokia is currently running tests on a LTE equipped Lumia 800 in order to secure approval from wireless carriers.
Currently, Verizon and AT&T are the only two wireless carriers in the US that have LTE networks. Last week, an executive for Verizon said in an interview, "We"ve communicated to Microsoft that LTE is critical to us. We need to see a timeline that makes sense if we want to continue to represent them." This new rumor, if true, would seem to be an indication that both Microsoft and Nokia are taking Verizon seriously.
It"s possible that the Nokia 800 could launch here in the US with LTE support out of the box as a way to make the US version different than the one that launched in parts of Europe in November. News.com indicates that US wireless carriers don"t make a big deal, in terms of marketing and PR, for a new smartphone that has been available in other parts of the world unless there is something different about the US model of the smartphone.
Indeed, the article points out that Samsung made a number of changes in the US versions of the Galaxy S II before they were released in this country. The Galaxy S II was first launched in April but the US launch didn"t happen until September.