Nokia, the world’s largest mobile-phone marketer, awarded its global network account to JWT last week. JWT will support local efforts in more than 80 markets worldwide. One market that desperately needs support is the U.S., where Nokia lags behind the competition.
According to Business 2.0, Nokia may not be a minority player for much longer. Stymied by U.S. wireless carriers, Nokia has begun selling “unlocked” phones, which are devices that can work on any wireless network, directly to consumers. All users need to do is remove the SIM card from their old phone, insert it into a new one, and — voila — start dialing.
But American consumers aren’t used to buying their phones this way and Nokia hasn’t yet been able to get the message across that they can.
“In Europe, people are used to it,” says Michael Gartenberg, vice president and research director at Jupiter Research in New York. “But consumers here are not accustomed to purchasing unlocked, unsubsidized phones — many don’t even know they can transfer their SIM cards.”
That could soon change. The Federal Communications Commission has just cleared the way for consumers to buy any cell phone they want and then pick a wireless provider.
One phone that might make a splash in America is Nokia’s N95 (pictured above). At $795, its prepared to give the iPhone a run for hottest gadget of the moment status.
