A host of mobile networks have decided not to offer the 41-megapixel Nokia 808 PureView smartphone in the UK.

The 808 PureView, dubbed the highest resolution camera-phone ever made, has reportedly been shunned by O2, T-Mobile, Orange and Vodafone, according to sources close to Wired. Fellow phone carrier Three could not confirm whether or not it would offer the device.

So why has a high-end smartphone with such a striking and marketable feature in the form of that incredible camera been roundly ditched? The answer, quite simply, is Symbian.

The tired operating system is looking increasingly outdated with every slick new OS that hits the market, and with PureView leaning on the Symbian platform, phone vendors have been put off. The fact that Nokia itself has ditched Symbian in favour of Windows Phone on its Lumia smartphones this year probably tells you all you need to know about its ailing status.

For its part, O2 neverthless said it was "continuing to work with Nokia on future products", and it's likely the 41-megapixel camera will resurface on a future Windows Phone device.

The PureView snub comes as Nokia reported a loss of €1.3 billion (around £1 billion) in its first quarter financial report for 2012. This was partly the result of a 52 per cent decline in sales of its smartphones compared to the same period last year.