[BBNation]

Android is free. Apple and RIM don�t allow their mobile OSes on anyone�s devices but their own � at least for now, but that may soon change depending on how RIM makes out with Goldman Sachs. That pretty much leaves Microsoft on its own in the pay-to-play mobile OS game, and now we�ve been given a good idea what the cost of admission might be.

According to ZTE�s Santiago Sierra, portfolio manager for the company�s UK office, Windows Phone costs between $23 and $30 per license. Does that mean everyone who builds Windows phones pays that amount? Possibly, but it�s important to remember that Microsoft typically offers tiered pricing. Top manufacturers with a global presence (like Samsung and HTC) may receive a break on those prices. Some estimates have previously pegged Windows Phone license costs at as little as $3, but they weren�t provided by official sources within a company.

That said, ZTE is the fourth-largest makers of mobile phones in the world. They don�t have the brand presence outside Asia that Samsung or HTC do, but they still move a ton of devices every year.

The reported cost for licensing Windows Phone has raised eyebrows, with some bloggers calling Microsoft�s pricing exorbitant. In truth, if a manufacturer is willing to pay that price to ship smartphones that run the OS, then it�s a reasonable price. If that weren�t the case and the pricing actually was out of line, they�d probably just focus their efforts on Android instead. That�s the route Sony has chosen, though their decision had more to do with the required Xbox Live integration � not pricing.

[Dapper37]

interesting, RIM should consider licensing BBos after they move to BBX! or right now for that matter.

[Premium1]

I guess they have to do something since wp7 phones arent selling very well and are piggy backing off android to make profits.