Russian sales of smartphones running Windows Phone 8 have begun. Steve Ballmer's visit to Moscow shows how important this event is for Microsoft. Microsoft partners received a record number of pre-orders in Russia, and the team from Redmond made great efforts to adapt their offer to Russian realities.

For the start of sales of Nokia Lumia 920 and 820 - the first WP8 smartphones on Russian shelves - two Steves visited Russia - Microsoft President Steve Ballmer and Nokia President Stephen Elop. Russia is one of the most promising markets for Windows Phone 8, which is confirmed by both a record number of pre-orders for new devices and sales of old ones. According to MTS branded retail analysts, sales of smartphones based on Windows Phone in Russia have doubled over the past year, outpacing Apple in terms of dynamics, and now their market share has exceeded 5%. In order to maximize this potential, all manufacturers of WP smartphones have included Russia in the first wave of equipment deliveries. And at Microsoft, the operating system was localized and equipped with Yandex search, which is activated by the hardware “Search” button and replaces the global Bing. What is even more significant, as part of the strategy to adapt the product to the Russian market, Redmond made efforts to maximize the interest of retail partners.

On Tuesday, simultaneously with the launch of WP8, Microsoft announced a strategic partnership with MTS in the promotion of “innovative mobile solutions.” The operator will not only provide new smartphones with free three-month unlimited Internet and digital TV, but will also open “demo zones” of the Windows ecosystem, including both smartphones and tablets with laptops, in 20 flagship stores in Moscow, St. Petersburg and Yekaterinburg. Such cooperation is effective for both partners. MTS has an extensive retail network, which has proven its effectiveness in selling WP7 smartphones: growth dynamics over the past six months have reached +30% per month. On WP8, the results can only be higher, since the proposed models have attractive characteristics at an adequate price - Lumia 920 costs 24,990 rubles, and the 820th model costs 19,990 rubles. High sales are critical for Microsoft in the short term, so the company is focusing on attracting the most successful retail channels. The benefit for MTS is also obvious - smartphones generate good income from the mobile Internet (after the expiration of a three-month period, the Internet + TV package costs 299 rubles per month). What is significant is that tablets and laptops consume an order of magnitude more traffic than smartphones, and their sale complete with a wireless Internet contract is also of great interest to operators. Mobile applications may also become a significant source of income for MTS in the near future. Branded smartphone applications have been adapted for Windows Phone 8; they will be pre-installed on devices sold at retail by MTS. In the third quarter of 2012, MTS's revenue from services based on its own applications grew by almost 80% compared to the same period last year, and the number of users during this period grew by 20% quarterly.

Another point of interest for retailers is that there is great potential for joint sales of a WP8 smartphone and a Windows 8 computer. Microsoft has worked deeply into the integration of data on devices through its own cloud services Live and Skydrive. Therefore, their joint use gives useful and clear results. Realizing this potential depends on how effectively the synergies between the various Windows devices on the shelf are demonstrated to customers.

Operators will help launch Windows Phone 8