Motorola Clings to Third Place in Mobile Market

Motorola clung to third place in the mobile phone market in the second quarter, shipping 28.1 million handsets and maintaining its market share, the company said Thursday as it announced its financial results for the second quarter.

In comparison, Nokia shipped 122 million mobile devices, Samsung Electronics 45.7 million phones and fourth-placed LG Electronics 27.7 million during the same period, according to figures supplied by the companies.

While unit shipments rose, Motorola's revenue from its struggling handset business fell 22 percent year on year, to US$3.3 billion, and the division's operating loss widened to $346 million from $332 million a year ago.

The company as a whole generated revenue of $8.1 billion for the quarter, down from $8.7 billion a year earlier. Net income rose to $4 million compared to a net loss of $28 million a year earlier.

Revenue at Motorola's home and networks mobility division, which sells set-top boxes, broadband modems and WiMax equipment, grew 7 percent year on year to $2.7 billion, and operating profit rose 28 percent to $245 million. Consumer demand for high-definition television services contributed to the growth.

In the enterprise mobility solutions division, revenue rose 6 percent to $2 billion and operating profit climbed 24 percent to $377 million, boosted by demand for enterprise and public safety networks from outside the U.S.