We all know Nokia needs all of the help it can get, and according to a new report the company is thinking outside the box when it comes to European markets. Financial Times has learned from sources that Nokia has entered negotiations with operators about "forming an exclusive opportunity" to launch a new Windows Phone 8 smartphone.

With their first lineup of Lumia devices, Nokia had the mentality of getting as many phones into as many peoples' hands as possible. According to FT however, the company is now looking to strike a deeper deal with operators, including financial stake in the product's launch. The negotiations are still just that, but France Telecom is apparently one European operator in meetings while the possibility of Deutsche Telecom and their UK joint venture with Orange, Everything Everywhere, as possible deal-makers as well.

This isn't exactly big news, as the North American wireless market already operates in this manner. Plus Nokia has already formed a similar agreement with AT&T for the Lumia 900, which became one of the carrier's "hero" handsets and resulted in the biggest marketing push for a Windows Phone yet. However, European telecoms don't typically operate this way and it could be a strategy to drum up a mutually beneficial deal between Nokia and operators.

How do you feel about more carrier-exclusivity deals for Lumia devices? Is there a benefit to them, or does it just hurt consumers in the long-run?

Via: Engadget
Source: Financial Times