Nokia loses carrier billing for US Ovi Store launch

Nokia needs to pull out all the heavy artillery -- major device launches, carrier support, impressive software, and a seamless user experience -- if it wants the Ovi Store to succeed on a grand scale, and by all accounts, they're serious about making that happen with the recent integrations of MOSH and WidSets. Here's the thing, though: for many, direct carrier billing could be a big part of that "seamless user experience" thing, and recognizing that, Nokia had planned to offer it from the get-go in the US (along with eight other countries) when it launches next month. That's now been called off for the States for an undisclosed reason -- carriers around here are notoriously finicky in their relationships with manufacturers and we wouldn't be surprised if it all came down to a few heated boardroom discussions with the big wigs -- but whatever the cause, users will need to roll with a less-integrated payment option to start. Of course, alternatives from RIM, Apple, and Android aren't offering carrier billing here either -- but this was a cool opportunity to get a leg up, so here's hoping they end up getting this one worked out.