Microsoft, Deutsche Telekom announce ‘broad, strategic partnership’ for Lumia push in Europe
Alexandra BurlacuMicrosoft and Deutsche Telekom have announced a new partnership at the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2015, marking a significant Lumia push for Europe.
This new "broad, strategic partnership" aims to expand and market Microsoft Lumia smartphones, as well as Microsoft online services such as OneDrive and Office 365, across Deutsche Telekom's sales and marketing channels in 12 European countries.
In other words, this new collaboration between Microsoft and Deutsche Telekom should help the Microsoft ecosystem reach a wider adoption, both among consumers and business customers.
Under the terms of the deal, the companies will launch a joint international marketing campaign to advertise the products, offer sales support and training to employees, develop custom applications, and conduct experiential activities tailored by market.
In addition to Lumia smartphones and Microsoft services, this partnership will also cover more Microsoft products in the future. Moreover, Deutsche Telekom will be a launch partner for the latest Windows 10 operating system.
"Our successful cooperation with Microsoft which we continue to develop for years now, strengthens the position of Deutsche Telekom as the leading provider for connected life. Together with Microsoft's broad portfolio of devices, services and platforms, we reach customers who wish to switch their phone quickly and easily between professional and private use. Thus, we are able to provide a seamless user experience with benefits for both our private and our business customers," Niek Jan van Damme, Managing Director of Telekom Deutschland GmbH and member of the board of Deutsche Telekom, touted in a new press release on Wednesday, March 4.
"Deutsche Telekom has been a Microsoft device partner since the beginning. Its trusted brand and network excellence in Germany and across key European markets will be a strong force to jointly deliver Microsoft devices and services to more consumers and businesses throughout Europe," added Florian Seiche, Microsoft's vice president of Mobile Device Sales for the European Region.
This new deal should help Microsoft bolster its position on the market, as Windows Phone is far behind Android and iOS. Microsoft is expected to focus mostly, if not exclusively, on affordable handsets in the first half of this year, as part of an effort to boost sales of Lumia devices. A high-end Lummia flagship with a Snapdragon 810 is also in the cards, as Qualcomm recently revealed, but is not expected to debut in the near future. As part of its affordable push, Microsoft unveiled its new Lumia 640 and Lumia 640 XL for now.
Deutsche Telekom will also offer the newly-announced Microsoft Lumia 640 mid-ranger, which made its debut earlier this week at the MWC 2015. The Lumia 640 will be part of the pan-European marketing campaign that stands at the core of this new partnership, set to include a number of European countries such as Austria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Macedonia, Montenegro, Netherlands, Poland, Romania, and Slovakia. As always, however, device availability may vary by market.
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