Nokia is in talks with European operators about an exclusive launch of its first smartphone using the Windows 8 platform from Microsoft, the Financial Times reports. Nokia's usual sales approach – which relies on trying to get as many phones in as many hands as possible across all channels immediately – would be ditched in favour of partnerships that would help create dedicated support for its smartphones, initially through one or two networks in Europe. These relationships will also offer the operator a financial stake in the success of the range, said one person with knowledge of the talks, which Nokia hopes will incentivise them to give the devices as much support as possible through retail channels and in special offers. Operators that have held talks with Nokia include France Telecom, although no deal has yet been struck. The person said that talks were still exploratory, which meant that Nokia could still pursue other strategies should agreement not be reached. Any deal could also involve the joint procurement initiative with Deutsche Telekom, according to one informed person, and feed through into their UK joint venture, Everything Everywhere. All parties declined to comment. The strategy rethink reflects recent successes in the US, where it struck a similar sales agreement solely with AT&T.
