Microsoft signs deal with China Unicom to push Windows Phone

It’s no secret that China is an important market both for Microsoft and Nokia. These two companies are pinning their hopes on the world’s largest market to finally have a breakthrough with Windows Phone 8. It was only three days ago that Nokia launched the Lumia 920T on China Mobile, the world’s largest carrier with over 700 million subscribers, to try and undercut Apple's iPhone.

Now, according to TechCrunch, Microsoft has signed a deal with China Unicom, the world's third largest mobile carrier and a fierce competitor with China Mobile. This deal will further push distribution of the Windows Phone platform. According to this report Microsoft will ramp up technical support as well as allocate more funds for promotional material in China. Kevin Turner, Microsoft’s COO talked about the new deal at a news briefing in Beijing:

China is the No 1 market worldwide in terms of PC, tablet, mobile and Internet users. It is a very exciting place. We believe there is a great opportunity across the country to provide new business models to partners, new technologies to developers and best services to customers.

Is Microsoft doing the right thing going after such a big market or should they try and stay closer to home?

Source: TechCrunch | Image via Engadget