Telstra Windows Phone 7.8 update table heightens hope for a Q1 release

We began to get rather hopeful with news of an imminent release for the Windows Phone 7.8 update, thanks to a tweet published by UK mobile operator O2. The company has quickly become the premier Windows Phone carrier in the UK, supporting the platform with stock of not only Lumia handsets, but Samsung and HTC as well.

Now Telstra has provided some hints that consumers with Windows Phone 7 hardware won't have to wait too long for the much anticipated update.

If the Australian operator's update tables are anything to go by, Windows Phone 7.8 will be hitting consumers from January 31st onwards. The expected date of arrival is for Lumia 800 handsets, while other Windows Phones are subject to availability - approval and deployment dates have not yet been locked down by Telstra. See all supported Windows Phones below:

Handset	Update	Status	Expected customer availability date	Notes
Nokia Lumia 800	Windows Phone 7.8 update	First round testing	31/01/2013	N/A
Nokia Lumia 610	Windows Phone 7.8 update	First round testing	TBC	Approval/deployment dates not locked down yet. Expected to be available late February/early March
HTC Titan 4G	Windows Phone 7.8 update	First round testing	TBC	Approval/deployment dates not locked down yet. Expected to be available late February/early March
HTC 7 Mozart	Windows Phone 7.8 update	First round testing	TBC	Approval/deployment dates not locked down yet. Expected to be available late February/early March
HTC HD7	Windows Phone 7.8 update	First round testing	TBC	Approval/deployment dates not locked down yet. Expected to be available late February/early March
Samsung Omnia W	Windows Phone 7.8 update	First round testing	TBC	Approval/deployment dates not locked down yet. Expected to be available late February/early March

Should other mobile operators in multiple markets follow a similar release strategy, we'll expect to see the rollout commence completely by March. That's if the above dates hold out, of course. We'll keep an eye out for more information surrounding the update, but it's definitely not long to go now.

Source : http://www.wpcentral.com/