Espoo, Finland
– Nokia is optimistic about mobile phones for the balance of the year, but reported
a double-digit drop in net sales and loss in the third quarter compared with
last year.
The loss was
reportedly due to more than $1.3 billion in charges on Nokia Siemens Networks,
a joint venture with Siemens AG
Third-quarter sales
were down 19.6 percent in euros, and its operating loss was $634 million,
compared with operating profit of $2.23 billion in the prior year’s third
quarter.
Nokia expects
industry mobile device volumes to be approximately 1.12 billion units in 2009,
down approximately 7 percent from approximately 1.21 billion units Nokia
estimated for 2008. This is an update to Nokia’s earlier estimate of industry
mobile device volumes declining approximately 10 percent in 2009 from 2008
levels.
Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka
Kallasvuo said in a prepared statement: “The demand for mobile devices
improved in many markets during Q3. With the average selling price of our
devices holding firm quarter on quarter, our higher device volumes translated into
increased net sales in our devices and services business. Our volumes and net
sales were, however, somewhat constrained by component shortages we encountered
across the portfolio.”
Nokia expects
industry mobile device volumes in the fourth quarter 2009 to be up sequentially,
and expects its mobile device market share in the fourth quarter 2009 to be
approximately at the same level sequentially.
In North America, Nokia reported that it sold 3.1 million
mobile devices during the third quarter, down 31.1 percent from last year’s
third quarter when it sold 4.5 million units.
