Nokia and Sanyo Electric have canceled plans to merge their code division multiple access (CDMA) handset divisions, the two companies said Thursday.The companies said they are calling off the merger plan after extensive analysis concluded that it is more beneficial to pursue other options individually for the respective CDMA handset businesses.They first announced the merger plan in February, with a view to capturing the top share of the global CDMA market. The companies had complementary product lines: Sanyo had been selling mainly mid- to high-end handsets in the United States and Japan, while Nokia had been concentrating its CDMA efforts in developing markets.The combined company would have been a much stronger competitor to market leaders Samsung Electronics and LG Electronics. Nokia and Sanyo would have had a combined market share of 20.6 percent, based on 2005 estimates, making it a tie with Samsung. The companies had promised a definitive agreement in the second quarter, which ends in about a week, and the new company was supposed to start operating in the third quarter.Now that Nokia and Sanyo have abandoned the merger, they will announce their future plans in due course, they said in a statement. -Martyn Williams, IDG News Service (Tokyo Bureau)Check out our CIO News Alerts and Tech Informer pages for more updated news coverage. Related content feature The CIO’s new role: Orchestrator-in-chief CIOs have unique insight into everything that happens in a company. Some are using that insight to take on a more strategic role. By Minda Zetlin Dec 04, 2023 12 mins CIO CIO CIO opinion Fortifying the bridge between tech and business in the C-suite To be considered a tech-forward company today, there has to be a focus on tech fluency across the C-suite, which creates a unique opportunity for CIOs to uplevel their roles and expand their footprint across the enterprise. By Diana Bersohn and Rachel Barton Dec 04, 2023 7 mins CIO CIO CIO brandpost Sponsored by G42 Understanding the impact of AI on society, environment and economy By Jane Chan Dec 03, 2023 4 mins Artificial Intelligence opinion Website spoofing: risks, threats, and mitigation strategies for CIOs In this article, we take a look at how CIOs can tackle website spoofing attacks and the best ways to prevent them. By Yash Mehta Dec 01, 2023 5 mins CIO Cyberattacks Security Podcasts Videos Resources Events SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER From our editors straight to your inbox Get started by entering your email address below. Please enter a valid email address Subscribe