STOCKHOLM, Sweden—L.M. Ericsson, the world’s largest equipment supplier, posted a 17-percent increase in year-over-year third-quarter net profits thanks to its wildly successful handset joint venture, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. The mobile networks giant owns half of Sony Ericsson, which shipped nearly 20 million...
SCHAUMBURG, Ill.—After eye-opening, second-quarter results that seemed to tilt the handset game table in its favor, Motorola Inc. announced third-quarter revenue and earnings that fell short of guidance and analysts’ expectations—despite otherwise strong fundamentals and record handset shipments. The news took Motorola’s stock down...
SEOUL, South Korea—As promised, the world’s two tier-one Korean handset vendors rebounded from their second-quarter doldrums. Based on handset shipment volumes—and despite a strong showing in North American markets—LG Electronics Co. Ltd. slipped to fifth place in global rankings behind a surging Sony Ericsson...
WASHINGTON-The Federal Communications Commission issued rules that will allow MediaFLO USA Inc. to begin operations next year as planned, but has yet to begin the inter-agency coordination necessary for mobile TV competitor Modeo L.L.C. to go forward. In order for either mobile TV service...
Having helped triple his company's year-on-year profits in the third quarter, Najmi Jarwala, Sony Ericsson's chief executive officer for North America, can afford to wax philosophical about his company's future. "Innovation is our differentiator," he said last week. "If we continue to innovate-and execute...
NEW YORK—Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. increased its shipment volume in the third quarter to 30.7 million, a 17-percent increase from the previous, disappointing quarter, according to CIBC World Markets. The South Korean vendor’s shipments beat its own guidance and CIBC’s earlier estimates of 28.8...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden—Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P., at five years old, is pursuing two trends in the rapidly changing mobile handset market—a worldwide thirst for music and imaging—and is profiting handsomely in its chosen markets. The partnership between the Japanese consumer electronics whiz and the...
LONDON—Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. is the latest handset manufacturer to move onto the retail playground, announcing plans to build a branded store in London’s upscale Kensington High Street district. The store, which is slated for a late November opening, will showcase new handsets...
Here's what got the RCR Wireless News editorial staff talking at the water cooler last week: Mobile ESPN is out of the game. Who knew ESPN stood for Eliminate Service Plan Now?Although it wasn't entirely unexpected, it's still surprising that Mobile ESPN was K.O.'ed...
Nokia Corp. announced five new GSM phones-the company insists the devices are "multimedia computers"-for the United States, but did not announce any accompanying carrier deals. Three of the devices-the N70, N73 and N91-are optimized for music. The devices include enhanced memory with 1 GB,...
Alltel Corp. went guerilla with its new advertising campaign promoting its My Circle calling plans. The company released a press release last week saying several of its new My Circle billboards had been "vandalized," purportedly by four men wearing pink, yellow, red and orange...
RICHARDSON, Texas—Watch-maker Fossil Inc. and phone-maker Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. announced a teaming to produce wristwatches that can connect to cell phones. Users will be able to mate their cell phone and watch through Bluetooth technology. The first product to emerge from the...
ATLANTA-Cingular Wireless L.L.C. will add two more handsets to its portfolio-both Walkman music phones-from Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. in the next couple of weeks, the carrier acknowledged. The first to be released will be Sony Ericsson's W300i, which will be offered through Cingular's...
LONDON-Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. bolstered its mobile music strategy with the launch of a new promotional area for new and developing artists. The company's M-BUZZ initiative allows users to access full-track music, videos, biographies, concert schedules and other content from up-and-coming musicians. The...
LONDON—Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. bolstered its mobile music strategy with the launch of a new promotional area for new and developing artists. The company’s M-BUZZ initiative allows users to access full-track music, videos, biographies, concert schedules and other content from up-and-coming musicians. The...
ATLANTA—Cingular Wireless L.L.C. will add two more handsets to its portfolio—both Walkman music phones—from Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. in the next couple of weeks, the carrier acknowledged. The first to be released will be Sony Ericsson’s W300i, which will be offered through Cingular’s...
L.M. Ericsson said it's looking for 500 engineers to accelerate its research into next-generation Internet Protocol-based networks and multimedia technology. The move coincides with Ericsson's attempts to morph into a more customer-focused organization by reorganizing itself into three business units: Networks, Global Services and...
LOS ANGELES--In its eight-year history, Symbian has had one profitable year--last year, its first in the black. While this is a critical turning point in its business fortunes, one likely to be repeated this year and henceforth, smart-phone penetration worldwide is about 7 percent...
STOCKHOLM, Sweden—L.M. Ericsson said it’s looking for 500 engineers to accelerate its research into next-generation Internet Protocol-based networks and multimedia technology. The move coincides with Ericsson’s attempts to morph into a more customer-focused organization by reorganizing itself into three business units: Networks, Global Services...
Greenpeace International has weighed in on mobile handset vendors' friendliness to the environment, based on their use of toxic chemicals in manufacturing and their e-waste policies such as take backs and recycling. Overall, Greenpeace doesn't like what it sees, but pledges to complete such...
While Motorola Inc. grabbed the spotlight after posting strong, second-quarter results last month, the American vendor's success obscured a remarkable surge in shipments by Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications L.P. Sony Ericsson shipped nearly 19-percent more handsets from the previous quarter, propelling it to fourth...
The advent of contactless payment technology in mobile handsets ushers in big possibilities for credit-card companies, network operators, and handset and chip vendors-if all parties can agree on an equitable business model. For consumers, new technologies such as near field communication, or NFC, offer...
The global, mobile handset business is a rough-and-tumble arena that requires players to succeed in a daunting number of areas that include technology, design, manufacturing, distribution, marketing and relationships-most factors obscured by the shipment and market-share numbers provided on this page. But the numbers...
PORT WASHINGTON, N.Y.-American consumers spent about $4.4 billion on 67 million mobile phones in the first half of the year, according to The NPD Group. Motorola Inc. captured 32-percent market share, or nearly one-third of those sales, double the market share of its nearest...
