Sony Ericsson claims Q2 market share gain

Sony Ericsson made €87m ($106m) on sales of €1.61bn ($1.95bn) during its second fiscal quarter, the phone maker said late last week.

The company's pre-tax profit was up 24.2 per cent from the previous quarter's €70m, but down 23 per cent on Q2 FY2004's €113m.

Sales were up 25.2 per cent sequentially and 7.3 per cent year on year. Unit shipments were likewise up 25.5 per cent and 13.5 per cent, respectively, to 11.8m handsets. The quarter's average handset sale price was €137.

Sony Ericsson said it expects the industry as a whole will ship 720m handsets in 2005, 4.3 per cent more than it did last year. Then, some 690m phones were shipped.

The firm's formal earnings announcement claimed the company had "gained momentum and market share" during the quarter. Company president Miles Flint put a number to it, in an interview with the Reuters newsagency: Sony Ericsson's share rose from six per cent in Q1 to seven per cent, he said.

Still, Sony Ericsson is a long way behind the market leaders: Nokia, Motorola and Samsung. In Q1 it also found itself behind LG and Siemens. ®

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