Nokia CEO Elop says Windows Phone is the only focus for now

Nokia CEO Stephen Elop has said that the company will remain steadfast on its plan of using Microsoft’s Windows Phone OS to compete with smartphone rivals such as Samsung and HTC, and the world’s most popular mobile platform, Android.

“We make adjustments as we go. But it’s very clear to us that in today’s war of ecosystems, we’ve made a very clear decision to focus on Windows Phone with our Lumia product line. And it is with that that we will compete with competitors like Samsung and Android,” Elop told reporters ahead of a shareholders’ meeting.

Nokia’s first-quarter results showed incremental gains in sales of Lumia devices which run Windows Phone, while sales of its basic and feature phones, a traditional Nokia strong point, plunged. This has prompted speculation that the company may need to adopt a new strategy or at least back more than just Windows Phone.

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Nokia Lumia 920, the Windows Phone 8 flagship

Of course, Nokia is no stranger to questions about whether Windows Phone is strong enough to ward off Android’s challenge. Earlier this year, there was some speculation about the OS that Nokia will use for a rumoured tablet. At the time, Elop had said that Nokia is willing to “consider any option”, but was quick to add that the company is firmly standing by its association with Microsoft.

As one of the major OEMs backing the Microsoft platform, Nokia has a certain responsibility towards supporting Windows Phone 8 and its future iterations. So far, we’ve seen Nokia launch a WP8 handset in nearly all price ranges in India, which will no doubt strengthen the user base of the OS. And for now at least, it looks like Elop and Co are not jumping ship.

With inputs from Reuters