Microsoft’s (NASDAQ:MSFT) big announcement at the Mobile World Congress was their new mobile operating system called Windows Phone 7 that would be available on handsets that met the criteria of one of three supported variants. Their earlier mobile OS, Windows Mobile 6.5 was somewhat overshadowed by the news with questions now emerging as to its future in the mobile world.

It looks like there could potentially be two versions of Windows Mobile 6.5 in the form of the still unconfirmed Windows Phone Classic and the now confirmed Windows Phone Starter Edition.

The Windows Phone Starter Edition takes the same approach as the desktop OS Windows XP starter and Windows Vista starter and is expected to be a stripped down version of WP7 with cheaper licensing fees for developing and emerging nations.

WP6 Starter Edition will be available to all Microsoft direct partners and will also be available through MediaTek and BSquare. It will come with and without Office Mobile 2010. Microsoft has also stated that support for 2G, 2.5G, CDMA and TD-SCDMA radios have been included though Engadget does point out that HSDPA 3G is absent, questioning if this was just an oversight or an attempt to promote Windows Phone 7 in emerging countries where 3G networks are available.

Via: ZDNet