Now this is puzzling, given the fact that Nokia said in June it was ramping down its R&D in CDMA handsets, calling the CDMA handset market a financially prohibitive ecosystem and declaring that the CDMA emerging-market business case is looking more challenging. Nokia has started selling a CDMA mobile handset model in India for less than $43, its lowest ever price point globally for the handset. India's second-largest operator Reliance Communications is partnering with Nokia to market the 1255 handset model in India. "We are confident that our alliance with Reliance Communications to promote the Nokia 1255 at a never-before price point, will be well received by our discerning customers," said Sunil Dutt, director of sales for Nokia India, in a joint statement issued by the companies.

For more about Nokia's ultra-cheap CDMA phone:
- check out this article from Dow Jones