Unfortunately, Nokia paid the price for dancing with the carriers for too long. I do wonder if Apple is headed down the similar road with the iPhone (i.e. dramatic success that is eventually overtaken because of the entanglements of their required partners - carriers and media companies).
There's a fine line to walk. Nokia went over it a long time ago, and now they're on the opposite side of the line.
Keeping phone and provider separate is great for the consumer, but not in the long run since the phone companies don't get the market they need.
i.e. it would be great if I could use the iPhone on any network I wanted, but without an exclusive deal with AT&T, Apple wouldn't have made the kind of cash it needs to be truly profitable and stay at the top of the market.
Nokia pandered to cell companies for too long, but then went in the exact opposite direction and lost a huge chunk of the US market with them....
