STRUGGLING Nokia Corp today announced the launched of its first Windows Mobile phone for the Chinese mainland on Saturday – marking a key step for the Finland-based handset maker to regain market share lost to iPhone and Android phones.

Nokia, still the world's No.1 phone maker by sales, will launch the new Lumia 800C phone for China Telecom's CDMA network in China, the world's biggest mobile phone market, Stephen Elop, Nokia's president and executive chief, said in Beijing today.

It was the first new Nokia phone announcement in China after the company announced plans a year ago to cooperate with Microsoft Corp to develop smart phones with the new operating system from Nokia's previous unsuccessful Symbian.

"Nokia is now a new player in the fierce-competed (smart phone) market and it's a new start for the giant," said Sandy Shen, an analyst at Gartner Inc, a US-based IT consulting firm.

"It still needs time to prove itself, especially during the competition with strong rivals like Google and Apple," Shen added.

Nokia, though it's still a market leader in the domestic market, lost market share to about 15 percent by the end of last year, compared with above 20 percent at the beginning of last year and a peak of more than 30 percent in previous years, according to research firms including Gartner and Analysys.

Rivals including Samsung and Apple have gained market share through their iOS and Android systems, analysts said.

"It's a big day for all Chinese handset users because Nokia give us another choice (besides Android and iPhone)," said Wang Xiaochu, chairman of China Telecom, the country's No.3 mobile career with a 14 percent market share.

The advantage of the new Nokia Windows phones include its map, navigation and music services.

Nokia, as a traditional handset giant, also cooperated with Internet firms like Tencent (QQ), Sina, Sohu and Renren to integrate popular Internet services in the new phones.

Source:shanghaidaily