Last night, we reported that this much anticipated update was to arrive this morning and unlike T-Mobile, we have absolute confirmation that Nokia and their partners are on track for this update. Read on for all the exclusive details...

This morning at 10AM PT (1PM ET), Nokia and Microsoft along with their carrier partners Rogers and AT&T have officially begun to roll out the OS and firmware updates for the Nokia Lumia 920 (and Lumia 820 on AT&T).

OS Update features and fixes

The OS update is expected to address stability issues that left some users with an occasional device reset or freezing of the operating system. The problem appears to have originated from issues with Bluetooth pairing, which has been refined in this update.

In addition, an improved startup sequence is also included, which most likely addresses an issue some reportedly had when factory-resetting the device, resulting in their phone being unable to restart. Though these incidents were isolated, it’s great to see Nokia and Microsoft addressing these problems.

The OS update, 10211 aka ‘Portico’ also brings new features to the table, including keep Wi-Fi alive (under the Lock screen), SMS enhancements (call reject, mass delete) and automatic Wi-Fi Hotspot detection. There are also some general performance enhancements as well and fine-tuning of the OS.

Full change log can be found here.

New Nokia Firmware

For its part, Nokia is including a new firmware maintenance release (build 1249) that will fix and enhance user function. The main thrust of that release is to greatly increase sharpness in photos taken with the 8.7MP Pureview camera and front-facing camera. We did a side-by-side comparison yesterday and demonstrated that indeed Nokia is listening to users, doing an excellent job at improving image focus.

We’re also told that power-management has also been improved, resulting in some minor boosts in energy efficiency in the device, which is also a welcomed addition.

Availability (AT&T and Rogers)

The over-the-air update is expected to be “live” on Microsoft’s servers right now. Users can go into Settings –> Phone Update to manually check for the OS and firmware, or they can wait for the notification to come to them.

The update should be all at once for Rogers and AT&T users meaning we are not expecting a delayed or regional roll out.

Availability for International Lumia 920 and other carriers

Now for some not-so great news. For those who are not on AT&T or Rogers, the Portico OS update and firmware enhancements are not expected to go live until early February 2013.

Nokia is working with carrier partners to make sure the experience is top notch and that there are no issues when installing the update, resulting in damaged or sub-optimal performance. Of course schedules can change and unbranded devices may get it earlier than carrier-supported ones.

Feedback and Forums

Share your experience with the Nokia OS update in our Lumia 920 forum and Lumia 820 forum, where you can leave feedback on the update, including any problems you may be having. Likewise, feel free to leave a comment here.