Infinite Path

Dominating the mobile phone market in the UK, USA, and other technologically advanced countries where the appetite for the latest gadget is always fierce is clearly crucial for the big boys vying to make their mobile phones the model of choice on the high street.

Perhaps more important than this, though, is the need to promote brand awareness in emerging markets, where the potential growth in mobile phone usage could increase exponentially over the coming years.

It’s no secret that China is perhaps the best example of a mobile phone market sleeping giant that has been slowly but surely waking up in recent years and this week, Nokia and Microsoft took a huge step forward in their quest to satiate this particular giant’s growing appetite by launching the Nokia 800C, the first CDMA Windows Phone to be made available in the country.

With over 132.33 million subscribers on the books of China Telecom, which operates on a CDMA network, the potential for Nokia isn’t difficult to see, especially with the company opting to keep prices relatively low compared to offerings from rival brands yet keeping the shiny, up-to-date appearance and usability features uniquely and sensitively tailored to the needs of the Chinese market (users will receive special offers on apps that are currently popular in the country).

Nokia hasn’t had the best of times in the fierce mobile phone industry in recent years, slipping behind brands such as Apple, so they’ll just be hoping that concentrating on emerging markets in such a focused manner is a decision that pays off.