Microsoft (MSFT) is said to have offered its Windows Phone mobile OS free of charge to two India-based OEMs, perhaps signaling the vendor is willing to forgo licensing fees for a greater stake in emerging markets.



From The VAR Guy:

The Times of India reported that India-based phone makers Lava and Karbonn—part of a group of nine newcomers to the platform Microsoft disclosed at the recent Mobile World Congress—committed to develop Windows Phone-based handsets only when the vendor agreed to waive its licensing fees. The Times relied on industry insiders privy to Microsoft’s negotiations with the Indian handset makers who confided the deals got done only when the vendor broke with its longstanding policy and elected not to charge for its OS.

  Microsoft Windows Phone: Free to OEMs?