Nokia “won’t be last to switch lights off”

Nokia last week launched its music download service ‘Comes With Music’ without a network partner, although a retail deal with The Carphone Warehouse for its prepay launch device is in the bag.

Nokia UK managing director Simon Ainslie said UK network operators remain interested in the service, despite initial circumspection.

Ainslie said: "The networks are all interested, but have their own services which makes it complicated. The door certainly isn’t closed. We are confident we will have the networks on board soon."

Nokia’s Comes With Music service allows customers unlimited downloads for one year, plus free transfer of music to any new ‘XpressMusic’ handsets.

Ainslie said more XpressMusic handsets will follow the 5310, on which Nokia is launching the service this month. The handset will be available on prepay, exclusively to Carphone until the end of the year.

Carphone UK chief Andrew Harrison said: "The 5310 will be the gift for Christmas."

Nokia’s download service, along with its Ovi portal, are perceived as threats by networks looking to operate as content providers themselves.

Tim Shepherd, analyst at Canalys, said: "Nokia already has operator resistance over Ovi. Some aren’t happy as they have their own music services, but it could be good for data usage."

O2 head of content Antony Douglas said: "We will keep an eye on it; if it is a huge success, we will renew our position. We will focus on existing services, but if Nokia does something compelling that is good for our customers, we will work with it."

Orange said "no firm decisions have yet been made".

Ainslie added Nokia is not out of place and pointed to Apple and BlackBerry as manufacturers already working as service providers as well.  

He said: "The business model has changed. Apple already has an established portal. We’re not going to be the last to switch off the lights. If we are treading on people’s toes now, BlackBerry have been doing it for 10 years."