Via the Windows Phone Blog comes news that the T-Mobile USA exclusive Nokia Lumia 521 will go on sale this weekend via the Home Shopping Network as part of the retailer's Innovation Weekend event. The handset will cost $149.95 (£97) without a contract, with free shipping and handling, and will be bundled with a car charger and screen case.

From May 11th the handset will be available at Microsoft and Walmart retail stores, the former of which will sell the phone for $149. At Walmart the phone will be available on a no contract $30 per month unlimited web and texting plan (i.e. pay for phone up front, then SIM-only contract). T-Mobile will also carry the phone in its own retail channels with pricing and availability to be announced at a later date.

The Lumia 521 is a T-Mobile specific variant of the Lumia 520, with support for the WCDMA 1700 (Band IV) and 1900 (Band II) frequencies. Other specifications include a 4.0 inch WVGA (800 x 480) TFT screen, 8GB of internal memory, microSD card support, a dual-core Snapdragon S4 processor running at 1GHz, and a 5 megapixel camera. 

The pricing of the Nokia Lumia 521 is aggressive, representing excellent value for money, and offers significant savings over the typical cost of smartphone ownership in the US. Typically smartphone handsets in the US "cost" $99 or $199, but are tied to two year contracts with a monthly spend of around $100. The Nokia Lumia 521 will be available for an up front cost of $150, but more importantly will be eligible for T-Mobile's lower cost plans (i.e. $30-$50 per month). This will mean the typical Lumia 521 owners will pay less than half the amount typically associated with a smartphone (i.e. total cost of ownership over two years of around $900 versus $2000+).  

The Lumia 521 is a low end device and is unlikely to satisfy the typical high-end smartphone owner (Lumia 920, iPhone 5, Samsung GS4), but that's not aim of this device. Rather the aim is to expand the addressable market for the Lumia range. Thanks to its pricing it will be well positioned to reach first time smartphone owners, or those current smartphone users who feel they are paying too much.

Here's the relevant portion of the Microsoft post:

T-Mobile provided fresh details today about rollout plans for the new Nokia Lumia 521, a T-Mobile exclusive that’s based on Nokia’s popular and most affordable Windows Phone 8 model, the Lumia 520.

If you want to be one of the first to snag one, tune in to HSN this Saturday. The Lumia 521 will debut during the retailer’s Innovation Weekend event (check local listings for air times) and come bundled with a car charger and screen protector. Price: $149.95, with free shipping and handling.

On May 11, the phone is scheduled to land at Microsoft and Walmart retail stores. The Microsoft Store will carry it for $149. At Walmart, which hasn’t announced pricing plans yet, the Lumia 521 will be eligible for the retailer’s exclusive no contract, $30 per month unlimited web and texting plan on T-Mobile.