In North America, all smartphones are sold through a carrier - with very few exceptions. There's no infrastructure nor any significant consumer demand for phones sold through other methods, and it might hurt Jolla in the future if they are seen by carriers as attempting to break their stranglehold over the market.

People in the rest of the world are a lot more used to paying up-front for a phone, potentially through a third party, and getting a SIM-only plan.

Not certified by FCC/Industry Canada for sale but there is a (risky) work around or just buy one off ebay https://together.jolla.com/question/78081/shipping-to-canada...