Nokia up as Lumia launch in China draws near

China Telecom and Nokia (OMX: NOK1V, NYSE: NOK) are launching first CDMA Windows Phone in China the Finnish mobile phone manufacturer said in a press release. China is now the world’s largest smartphone market and Lumia 800C will launch in the country in the beginning of April with 3599 RMB price tag without contract.

A cheaper alternative will follow during the second quarter.As could be expected from the wide sales and connections network that the company has in the country, launch will be not only in China Telecom and Nokia stores but also in Suning, Gome, Funtalk, D.Phone, and CentreYou shops as well as through regional channels.

It has been important for Nokia to get its new offering quickly into China as its legacy Symbian phones are losing the battle with Android-based devices. There were some fears that getting the necessary approvals might take a little longer. The news has helped Nokia to over 3% gain in early Wednesday trading. Other major operators China Mobile and China Unicom shall follow later.