InterDigital Inc (IDCC)

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It's not clear which company will run the business, but analysts say there are some potential clashes ahead. For one, Nokia is not known for flexibility. It stubbornly tried to bypass Qualcomm as a CDMA chip supplier in earlier versions of the technology, and apparently ran out of options as 3G technology like CDMA 2000 or EV-DO chips were needed for new phones, say industry watchers.

Also, Sanyo is big on accommodating the telcos on handset designs, basically building phones to the carriers' specifications. Nokia comes at it from the other direction, designing its own phones without catering much to phone companies.

"Compromises don't often work," says Ovum's Entner. "I think Nokia realizes it needs to be accommodating," he says. "But it's only a matter of time until the JV gets dissolved