Is this far fetched?

[Monica D]

Oh, ok. Then yes, it is far fetched.

[!KingSheffMan!]

Carriers buy at the same prices regardless of how much they sell them for...

The "2-year contract discount" came about because carriers found that they make so much more money (on average) on monthly fees, usage overages, etc that they can afford to cut or even eliminate their margin on the handsets.

Lower handset prices = more customers = more money in the long run...

If Cingular thinks they can make money offering certain Nokia phones, they'll offer them. If you look at individual model handset sales in the US, you'll see why Cingular hasn't really embraced S60 3rd devices - phones that are < $200 contract price outsell > $200 contract price devices by a ridiculous percentage. That's why carrier-branded devices in the US drop in price so quickly. They pull in all of the people who are willing to pay higher prices and then once the "low-hanging fruit" is plucked, the price free fall begins...

[dj6217]

I don't care what any of you are saying and I didn't bother reading, but I just have to say, that this personified fight between Nokia and Cingular OWNS!

[gotanypostits]

I'll take some of what you're smoking please.

[PackFan13]

nokia becomes a US provider themselves and owns cingular in the process. That would be the best