8 Million AT&T Windows Phone 7 Handsets To Be Delivered

Ok, this is one rumor that you have to take with a pinch of salt. Slashgear has quoted an AT&T insider as having revealed that the carrier has ordered close to 8 million Windows Phone 7 devices ahead of the holiday shopping season this year.

Now this is why it sounds so unbelievable. One, the platform is untested. We do not have any Windows Phone 7 handsets out in the wild today to really gauge if this one is going to be a success or not. Secondly, Microsoft has always sold lesser volumes of smartphones and so AT&T would have wanted to be more conservative in their sale estimates.

However, one wonders if AT&T could be banking on Windows Phone 7 for their next phase of growth. As you know, there are already speculations surrounding the entry of T-Mobile and Verizon into the iPhone game. Also, Verizon has established itself as the leading carrier for Android handsets in USA. Ma Bell could hence be looking at consolidating its position in the new entrant.

What do you think?