Sony considering buyout of Ericsson's share in mobile joint venture

Analysts predict move could boost sagging handset business

Sony is planning to buy Ericsson's 50 per cent share in the Sony Ericsson joint handset business, according to reports in The Wall Street Journal citing sources familiar with the matter.

The companies formed the partnership in 2001, but sales have fallen short of expectations.

Recent figures from metrics firm comScore place Sony Ericsson third in the UK market with a 14.2 per cent share. HTC and Samsung control roughly two thirds of the UK market.

Industry analysts believe that a buyout of Ericsson could prove beneficial for Sony. Enderle Group principal analyst Rob Enderle noted that, while Sony may not see a huge gain from such a deal, buying out Ericsson would be a wise move in the long term.

"Partnerships are problematic, and it wasn't really clear what Ericsson was bringing to this table other than the initial introduction to the carriers," Enderle told V3.

"That done, they aren't needed anymore and Sony clearly wants to move aggressively on the market opportunity."

The mobile market has seen a number of high-profile financial deals recently. Google continues to work towards its planned acquisition of Motorola Mobility, while Samsung was at one point believed to be considering a purchase of HP's webOS platform.