Nokia Corp. scored another major CDMA victory with Verizon Wireless, announcing it will sell the company’s 3589i phone, which features a color screen, polyphonic ring tones and support for Verizon’s BREW-based application download service.
Verizon will sell the phone for $50 with a two-year service plan.
“The Nokia 3589i phone represents yet another excellent platform for our Get It Now and NationalAccess services,” said Rich Meigh, vice president of product procurement for Verizon Wireless. “Verizon Wireless is known for bringing high-quality, top-performing products to our customers, and the Nokia 3589i phone is no exception.”
Verizon first announced it would sell a BREW-capable Nokia phone in May, during Qualcomm Inc.’s BREW developer conference. The move is notable as Nokia has long resisted using any technology from Qualcomm.
But Nokia’s move is likely driven by the company’s CDMA expansion efforts. Nokia recently began selling phones through Sprint PCS, and adding Verizon to the lineup gives Nokia further sales opportunities. Analysts have pointed to Nokia’s CDMA business as a major growth area for the company.
Also on the CDMA front, Alltel announced it will sell Nokia’s 3585i for $70 through its Simple Freedom offering.
