Nokia stops making only WiMax device

The Nokia N810 Internet Tablet sits on display at the Web. 2.0 Summit in San Francisco, California October 18, 2007.

HELSINKI (Reuters) - The world's top mobile phone maker Nokia said on Thursday it had ended production of its only mobile device using the U.S.-centered WiMax technology, another blow for the struggling wireless technology.

WiMax has been competing for the status of next generation mobile technology, but has largely lost the battle to Long-Term Evolution (LTE).

"We have ramped down the N810 WiMax Edition tablet. It has reached the end of its lifecycle," said a Nokia spokesman. Nokia unveiled the model only nine months ago, while usually even the most trendy models have a shelf life of well over a year.

Canada's Nortel Networks Corp has said LTE will be the most likely upgrade path for about 80 percent of the world's existing mobile phone providers, with others going for WiMax.

Nokia did not rule out introducing further WiMax phones in the future.

"We will continue to follow the technology and its evolution," the spokesman said.

(Reporting by Tarmo Virki; Editing by Jon Loades-Carter)