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☆ Ericsson warns of 2024 market decline despite Q4 earnings beat
▼ + stars: | 2024-01-23 | by ( ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +2 min

Ericsson said it expects further decline in 5G gear demand from mobile operators this year after beating fourth-quarter operating profit expectations on Tuesday helped by software sales. Telecoms equipment suppliers are expecting a challenging 2024 as 5G equipment sales - a key source of revenue - are slowing in North America, while India, a growth market, may also see a slowdown. That was mostly due to higher-margin software sales and lower sales of 5G equipment to lower-margin countries such as India. Ericsson said it would get a boost in the second half of the year from a $14 billion telecom deal with AT&T that it won over rival Nokia. The company on Tuesday also appointed Lars Sandstrom as chief financial officer, replacing long-time company veteran Carl Mellander.

Persons: Carl Mellander, Mellander, Börje Ekholm, Ericsson, Lars Sandstrom Organizations: Ericsson, Nokia, RAN, Radio Locations: North America, India, China

A general view of an exterior of the Ericsson headquarters in Stockholm, Sweden, January 24, 2020. The Swedish telecom equipment maker's shares fell 9% in early trade to lows last seen in 2017, when the company was going through another downturn. Gear makers such as Ericsson and Nokia (NOKIA.HE) have been hit by a slowdown in spending by telecoms companies. Mellander said the company had increased its previously announced 2023 cost saving target of 11 billion Swedish crowns ($1.01 billion), including the laying off 8,500 employees, to 12 billion crowns. India has been a rare growth area with sales quadrupling to about 10 billion crowns, but that is expected to slow down next year.

Persons: Fredrik Sandberg, Carl Mellander, Mellander, Borje Ekholm, Supantha Mukherjee, Terje Solsvik, Kirsten Donovan Organizations: Ericsson, TT News Agency, REUTERS, Reuters, Gear, Nokia, Jefferies, Thomson Locations: Stockholm, Sweden, India, STOCKHOLM, North America, Swedish

☆ Ericsson to lay off 8,500 employees -memo
▼ + stars: | 2023-02-24 | by ( Supantha Mukherjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

STOCKHOLM, Feb 24 (Reuters) - Telecom equipment maker Ericsson (ERICb.ST) will lay off 8,500 employees globally as part of its plan to cut costs, a memo sent to employees and seen by Reuters said. "The way headcount reductions will be managed will differ depending on local country practice," Chief Executive Borje Ekholm wrote in the memo. Many telecom companies had beefed up their inventories during the height of the pandemic which is now leading to slowing orders for telecom equipment makers. Verizon (VZ.N), one of the largest telecom companies, plans to spend between $18.25 billion and $19.25 billion this year, down from a capital expenditure budget of $23 billion last year. Nordic rival Nokia (NOKIA.HE) has not announced any plans to lay off employees.

☆ Ericsson earnings miss as slowing U.S. market hits margins
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Supantha Mukherjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +2 min

It has also announced plans to cut costs by 9 billion crowns ($880 million) by the end of 2023. Ericsson expects a margin fall seen in its Networks business to persist through the first half of 2023 but the effect of cost savings to emerge in the second quarter. The company's fourth-quarter adjusted operating earnings excluding restructuring charges fell to 9.3 billion Swedish crowns ($902 million) from 12.8 billion a year earlier. Net sales rose 21% to 86 billion crowns, beating estimates of 84.2 billion. A settlement of a patent deal with Apple (AAPL.O) last month resulted in revenue of 6 billion crowns, but Ericsson also took 4 billion crowns in charges, including a provision for a potential fine from U.S. regulators and divestments.

☆ Ericsson shares slide as fourth-quarter earnings disappoint
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-20 | by ( Supantha Mukherjee | ) www.reuters.com time to read: +3 min

The company has already announced plans to cut costs by 9 billion crowns ($880 million) by the end of 2023. The company's net sales rose in the fourth quarter, but margins, net income and core earnings fell. The company's fourth-quarter adjusted operating earnings, excluding restructuring charges, fell to 9.3 billion Swedish crowns from 12.8 billion a year earlier. Net sales rose 21% to 86 billion crowns, beating estimates of 84.2 billion. A settlement of a patent deal with Apple (AAPL.O) last month resulted in revenue of 6 billion crowns, but Ericsson also took 4 billion crowns in charges, including a provision for a potential fine from U.S. regulators and divestments.

☆ Ericsson's Cloud Software and Services unit books $76 mln charge
▼ + stars: | 2023-01-04 | by ( ) www.reuters.com time to read: +1 min

STOCKHOLM, Jan 4 (Reuters) - Ericsson (ERICb.ST) on Wednesday announced a 800 million crown ($76 million) fourth-quarter charge linked to dropping some contracts and products at its loss-making Cloud Software and Services business. Its cash flow would take a 700 million crown hit from the action, mainly in 2023, it added. Shares in Ericsson, which is due to report fourth-quarter earnings on Jan. 20, were up 1.2% at 1259 GMT. "That said, we still view Ericsson as a strong trade for 2023." ($1 = 10.5121 Swedish crowns)Reporting by Anna Ringstrom and Supantha Mukherjee, editing by Terje Solsvik and John StonestreetOur Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark echoed that sentiment in a interview: "Our exit will be complete. "This will allow us to organise modern production of telecoms equipment in Russia," he said, without naming the operators or producers. Government programs to promote Russian equipment have helped telecoms operators become less reliant on Nokia and Ericsson over the past several years and Russian producers have increased their market share this year to 25.2% from 11.6% in 2021. Russian telecom operators stockpiled foreign-made parts in February and March ahead of sanctions, two of the industry sources said, but inventory will drop after Nokia and Ericsson pull the plug Dec. 31. Consolidation between Russian operators at the behest of the government might also allow them to share equipment and resources to make the networks last longer, industry sources added.

While the revenue of both companies beat expectations thanks to the rollout of 5G, delayed royalty payments meant their core profit missed analysts' expectations. Shares in Ericsson slumped 12% and were the worst performers in the STOXX 600 (.STOXX) while Nokia shares fell almost 5% to be among the worst. Companies such as Ericsson charge $2.50 to $5 for every 5G handset they sell and come under pressure when negotiating new contracts. Ericsson's quarterly royalty revenue fell 1.1 billion Swedish crowns ($98.24 million) as it battled companies such as Apple (AAPL.O) over patents. Nokia's patent revenue was down by 62 million euros ($60.67 million), mainly due to a dispute with Oppo and Vivo.

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