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Last updated: Friday, October 17, 2008

Nokia Corp., the world’s largest cell phone maker, lost market share in the third quarter as profits dropped 30 percent because of falling sales and lower prices on the handsets that did sell. Even so, Nokia said Thursday it expects increasing sales for the rest of the year, and it stuck to its 10 percent growth estimate for the whole industry in 2008. Net profit in July through September plummeted to 1.09 billion euros ($2.7 billion), from 1.56 billion euros a year earlier. Net sales dropped 5 percent to 12.2 billion euros ($16.6 billion), from 12.9 billion euros. Nokia shares fell after the report but the stock rallied and was almost unchanged in late trading in Helsinki. Nokia’s U.S. shares were up 23 cents, 1.5 percent, at $15.34 in midday trading. Nokia said its market share in the period fell to 38 percent — down from 39 percent in 2007 and 40 percent in the previous quarter. It sold nearly 118 million handsets, up from 112 million during the same period last year. Last month, Nokia had warned that its market share would drop because of price cuts by competitors, but said it would not change its strategy. “We said we would not participate in the aggressive pricing competition in the third quarter and I believe that the decision was correct and will repay us in the long run,” Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo said. As Nokia continues to sell an increasing proportion of cheaper phones in emerging markets, the average selling price of its handsets — a much-watched indicator in the industry — also is on a downward curve. In the last quarter, the average selling price was 72 euros ($98), down from 82 euros in the third quarter last year. Despite the global financial meltdown, Nokia said it expects sales to increase in the final quarter, with…

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Nokia 3Q Profit Falls 30 Percent, Market Share Slips

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