Nokia and Sanyo partnering for CDMA phones

In the spirit of Valentine's Day, Nokia and Sanyo have announced a partnership to create a new brand of mobile phones specifically for the CDMA2000 market, the main format used in the United States. Nokia has not had much success in the U.S. CDMA market, while Sanyo has had some financial troubles lately, so this deal is seen as an attempt by both companies at gaining market share and boosting overall sales. compares the Nokia-Sanyo deal with the one Sony made with Ericsson several years ago that resulted in Sony Ericsson, which is currently the number four mobile phone seller in the world. With Nokia's focus on low- to midrange phones and Sanyo's focus on high-end phones with video capabilities, it'll be interesting to see the phones that the new company (with offices in San Diego and Osaka) will offer. The joint venture will debut in the third quarter of this year.