Nokia Has a 'Contingency Plan' if Windows Phone 8 Fails

Nokia's new chairman reveals the company has a back-up plan in the event Windows Phone 8 fails to impress.

In early 2011, Nokia announced that it was finally stepping away from its own-brand smartphone OS and partnering with a another company to bring in a third party operating system. That partner was Microsoft and the third party OS was Windows Phone 7. At the time, Nokia said it would be making Windows Phone its primary smartphone OS. However, it seems Nokia has a back up plan should things not pan out with Windows Phone.

Newly appointed Nokia chairman Risto Siilasmaa made the revelation during a recent TV interview in Finland. CNet points to a report in Finnish newspaper Yle Uutiset that quotes Siilasmaa as saying Nokia has a "contingency plan" should Windows Phone 8 "fail to live up to expectations." However, Siilasmaa added that the Finnish company was confident Windows Phone 8 would be a success.

It's not yet clear what Nokia's contingency plan might be. While it's good to know Nokia hasn't put all its eggs in Microsoft's basket, the company's attempts to break into the smartphone market with Symbian and Meego have been unsuccessful. With Nokia's share prices falling, we're not sure it would survive starting over with yet another smartphone platform in the event Windows Phone 8 doesn't pan out.

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