CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo has two major missions: rediscover Nokia by starting Internet service business with Ovi and regaining Nokia's market share in the US. He can't fail. Not with Ovi, not with the US market. Otherwise, he has to find something else to do.
via avecmobile.com
So it was apparently Nokia's decision in the early 2000s to stop customizing phones for operators that paved the way for their woes in the North American market. I was using a Treo at the time, so I can't confirm or deny this.
AvecMobile's post is apparently one in a series of excerpts from their forthcoming book called Behind the Screen. Looks interesting...