Nokia has a Plan B if Windows Phone fails: Is it Android?

Nokia has a contingency plan should Windows Phone fail. Nokia's new boss assured the world the Finnish folks have a Plan B to cover their behinds if the Lumia range powered by Windows Phone software don't reverse their declining fortunes.

Having hitched its wagon to Windows Phone so completely, Nokia is reliant on the operating system's success. The Finnish phone fanciers have already promised cheaper Lumia phones to fight Android, but if that doesn't work and Windows Phone fails to take off, Nokia has to have a Plan B.

Speaking to Yle Uutiset, Nokia's new chairman Risto Siilasmaa promised tough cuts to get back in the game before the company is forced to fall back on its contingency plan. But what is Plan B?

Whatever the back-up plan is, it's not Symbian: Siilasmaa ruled out focusing on the venerable software, which powers low-cost phones.

It's also unlikely to be Meltemi, another operating system beng developed by Nokia. Meltemi was a casualty of recent swingeing cuts, along with the fancy phone brand Vertu and, sadly, thousands of jobs.

Could Nokia have Android quietly waiting in the wings? Some observers think Nokia should have adopted Android in the first place, but Nokia felt differently, arguing that it's hard to stand out among the Android crowd. Still, if Windows Phone tanks, it's not inconceivable that Nokia could switch to Android.

On the one hand, Android is great and with Jelly Bean it's just getting better. And on the other hand, what other choice is there?

I'd understand if Nokia was a bit cross with Microsoft at the moment. Unveiling Windows Phone 8, Microsoft revealed that current phones not only won't get the WP8 update, but new apps won't work on current phones either. With Windows Phone still in its infancy, that's a real slap in the face for those fans who have switched to Windows Phone with a recent Nokia Lumia.

Looking past that bump in the road, Nokia is set to benefit from the forthcoming arrival of Windows 8, Microsoft's next generation of software for computers and tablets. Because Windows 8 shares apps and an overall aesthetic with Windows Phone, the launch sometime this autumn is expected to cause a surge in popularity for Windows Phones.

Is Nokia onto a winner with Windows Phone? Has the Windows 8 update left Nokia high and dry? Wjhat do you think Nokia's Plan B should be? Tell me your thoughts in the comments or on our Facebook page.