Nokia Expands CDMA Range in China With Three Phones

Nokia has launched three new CDMA (Code Division Multiple Access) phones for the Chinese market, including the GPS equipped 6316s, it said on Wednesday.

The 6316s is a 3G slider phone that also has a 2.2-inch display and a 2-megapixel camera. The phone comes preloaded with, for example, an e-mail application from China Telecom.

The 3806 is a standard CDMA monoblock phone with a 2.2-inch display and a 2-megapixel camera. A preloaded application, Health Assistant, also ships with the phone, according to Nokia.

The Nokia 6316s and the Nokia 3806 will become available during the first quarter of 2010, Nokia said. Pricing wasn't announced.

The last of the new phones is the 1506. It will cost 300 renminbi (US$44), making it Nokia's cheapest CDMA phone so far. It should become available before the end of the year, according to Nokia.

China seems to be on Nokia's mind these days. On Oct. 27 the company launched its first smartphone for China Mobile's 3G network.

China is a huge market and Nokia wants a significant piece of that, according to Richard Webb, directing analyst at market research company Infonetics.