KOLKATA, INDIA: Electronics major Samsung India Friday launched the world's first open market handset (OMH) phone, Mpower 699, in the country in cooperation with CDMA phone maker Qualcomm.

"This technology will help migration between operators in all our CMDA (Code Division Multiple Access) phones," Samsung India country head Sunil Dutt said at the launch of the handset, priced at Rs..7,000.

The OMH technology available would give CDMA customers the flexibility to use the handset independent of a CDMA operator.

Qualcomm and Indian operators like Reliance Communication and Tata Indicomm have played an active role in developing the technology, while MTS and Virgin Mobile have agreed along with them to come out with OMH compliant SIM cards, Qualcomm India and South Asia president Kanwalinder Singh said.

After India, Samsung will focus launching the OMH complaint phone in Southeast Asia, Middle Eastern countries and Sub-Saharan Africa, Dutt said.

"There will be three more launches of OMH phones in India by December and another two by March."  

©IANS