Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications Ltd., the mobile-phone venture of Sony Corp. and Ericsson AB, reported a smaller third-quarter loss than analysts had anticipated as its unit shipments and market share held up. The net loss was 25 million euros ($33.8 million), compared with a 267 million-euro profit a year earlier, the company said today. Sales fell 9.7 percent to 2.81 billion euros. Analysts in an SME Direkt survey predicted a loss of 141 million euros on sales of 2.74 billion euros, the medians of 22 estimates.
Sony Ericsson, formerly among its parents’ biggest profit contributors, posted its first quarterly loss in five years on costs to cut jobs and sinking prices for its Walkman and Cybershot camera phones. Sony Ericsson’s unit sales fell to 25.7 million from 25.9 million a year earlier, topping an SME estimate of 24.3 million units. The venture, which kept its global market share at about 8 percent in the quarter, is betting the new touch-screen Xperia handset will take market share from rivals including Apple Inc.
