Ericsson has declared that sales in the three months to the end of December 2005 rose by 16 per cent to SKr45.7 billion ($6 billion), against SKr39.4 billion for the same period in 2004.
Weak performance in Western Europe, where sales fell 4 per cent in the fourth quarter, was offset by strong growth in the rest of the world. Net income in the fourth quarter rose to SKr8.5 billion from SKr5.6 billion. But pricing pressure on new contracts contributed to a fall in gross margins from 45.6 per cent to 44.4 per cent in the quarter. Full-year revenues rose by 15 per cent to SKr152 billion, while net income jumped 39 per cent to SKr24.3 billion.
