Earlier this year, a Nokia executive likely got several Windows Phone fans excited when he said that at least one of his company's handsets would soon be hitting Verizon. Fast-forward to now and Verizon is indeed offering a Nokia handset known as the Lumia 822, a mid-range model that may be a bit of a bummer for folks that were hoping for a high-end, 920-like model. Those folks shouldn't give up their dream for a flagship unit quite yet, though, as Nokia CEO Stephen Elop recently teased in an interview with CNET that Nokia is "planning a lot of exciting things with Verizon." That comment came shortly after Elop said that "there might be a similar hero exercise with a different operator" while discussing the Lumia 920's AT&T exclusivity.

Speaking of the Lumia 920, Elop said that Nokia is "certainly pleased" with how the phone's been doing since its launch last month, though he stopped short of disclosing hard numbers. The exec also explained Nokia's decision to offer the 920 exclusively on AT&T, saying that it's learned that "being very narrow" produces better results. He went on to say that when working with a carrier, Nokia urges the operator to market a phone as a "hero device" and use the subsidy to get its on-contract price down. These partnerships also ges Nokia access to resources inside carrier stores, Elop said.

While it's interesting to hear Elop talk about Nokia's decision to make the Lumia 920 an AT&T exclusive, his explanation likely won't lessen the frustration that's felt by some Nokia fans that aren't on AT&T and are unwilling to switch. Elop's statement about the "exciting things" that Nokia and Verizon are planning is interesting though, and although there's no guarantee that a 920-esque flagship device is in the works for Big Red, today's tease could give Windows Phone fans Windows Phans some renewed hope. How many of you would be interested in a high-end Nokia handset on Verizon?

Via CNET