Mauritius makes it to the list of Windows Phone 8 release countries.

With the upcoming release of Windows Phone 8, Microsoft is opening up marketplace to 180 countries, including Mauritius. What that means, is Mauritians will simply be able to buy apps and games from Marketplace for their brand new Windows Phone 8. Local developers will also be able to signup to App Hub and start publish their apps right now. So no need to wait for the Windows Phone 8 release to start coding. Besides Mauritius, the other Indian Ocean countries to appear on the release list are Madagascar, Seychelles and Maldives.

While this is great news, it will be interesting to see how Microsoft will get developers, resellers and, most importantly, customers excited about Windows Phone 8. Windows Phone is relatively unknown in Mauritius where the smartphone market is dominated by Android made by Samsung. The island has seen the release of first generation of Windows Phone (HTC Mozart and Samsung Omnia 7) two years ago. These two devices are still available at an exorbitant price and have gathered much dust on the shelves ever since. No second generation Windows Phone managed to reach our shores. On the other hand , Android has been living happily here, basking under the sun and selling like hot cakes. Will the release of Windows Phone 8 reverse the trend? Let's wait and see. For that to happen resellers and Microsoft will have to get their act together.

Check out the list after the break

Source: Windows Phone Developer Blog