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Ericsson Mobile

Sweden's handset arm, merged into the Sony Ericsson joint venture in 2001 and sold outright to Sony in 2012 — Ericsson kept the networks and gave up phones for good

Defunct — Ericsson no longer makes mobile phones. The Swedish company has made them since the 1980s, but its handset arm was merged into a 50-50 joint venture with Sony that began operating as Sony Ericsson on 1 October 2001. In 2012 Sony bought Ericsson's half — reported at €1.05 billion, or about US$1.46 billion at the time — took full ownership and renamed the business Sony Mobile Communications, and the Sony Ericsson brand disappeared. Sony Mobile was folded into Sony Corporation on 1 April 2021, and its phones have been sold as Sony Xperia since. Ericsson itself still operates: it is a telecoms networks and software vendor, and it bought Vonage in 2022, but it has no handset business and has had none since 2012.

Ericsson's corporate history is much older than its phones. Lars Magnus Ericsson started a mechanical workshop in Stockholm in 1876 that became the company bearing his name, and the modern parent, Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, was incorporated on 18 August 1918 as the result of a merger. The company's own history of its ownership records the sequence of shareholders and reorganisations since.

Phones arrived a century later. Ericsson had been making mobile cellphones since the 1980s, and its first handheld device was the Hotline Pocket, introduced in 1987. Through the 1990s the handset business, Ericsson Mobile Communications, was one of the leading names in mobile telephony alongside Nokia and Motorola, and the company's smaller handsets — the T-series in particular — built a following in Europe.

By the end of the decade the business was losing money against Nokia's scale. The answer was an alliance. Sony and Ericsson agreed to combine their handset operations into a joint venture owned 50-50, which began operating on 1 October 2001 as Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications AB. The company was headquartered in London, with its design centre in Lund, Sweden, and research and development in Beijing, Tokyo and San Francisco. For Ericsson the point was to recover ground in handsets; for Sony, which had only a minor presence in cellular communication, it was a way into the market.

The venture's first GSM phone was the Sony Ericsson T68i. What followed was the company's strongest period: the T610, the K800i sold under the Cyber-shot camera brand, the W810 under the Walkman brand, and the Xperia arc S. At its peak in 2007 Sony Ericsson held about 9 per cent of the global mobile phone market, making it the fourth-largest vendor in the world. The venture was also the main user of the UIQ smartphone platform before switching entirely to Android in 2010.

Then it came apart. The smartphone transition, the rise of the iPhone and the scale of Samsung and the Chinese manufacturers squeezed Sony Ericsson, and by the end of the 2000s the venture was making losses. On 27 October 2011 Sony announced it would buy out Ericsson's stake, and the acquisition completed on 15 February 2012, with Sony paying €1.05 billion — reported at the time as US$1.46 billion — for the half it did not own [5][6][7]. The business was renamed Sony Mobile Communications, with the brand becoming simply Sony.

That is the point at which Ericsson left the handset market. It is worth stating plainly, because the Sony Ericsson name is remembered as a phone brand: Ericsson's exit from handsets was a sale of its half of the joint venture, not a winding-up, and the phones continued under Sony's ownership.

Sony's own phone business then shrank for another decade. By 2017 Sony Mobile held less than 1 per cent of the global mobile phone market, though it held 4.8 per cent in Europe and 16.3 per cent in Japan; the Xperia line was its only remaining handset family. On 1 April 2021 Sony Mobile was integrated into Sony Corporation and ceased to exist as a separate company.

Ericsson, meanwhile, kept the business that would outlast the phones. It remains a vendor of mobile network infrastructure and related software, and it has continued to buy into enterprise and cloud communications: it announced the acquisition of Cradlepoint, a wireless networking specialist, in a deal reported at $1.1 billion in September 2020, and completed the purchase of Vonage on 21 July 2022, when Vonage became a wholly owned subsidiary.

On the brand being licensed. Ericsson has continued to sell enterprise telephony products under its own name, and the "Ericsson" name appears on business cordless and DECT telephone equipment from its enterprise line rather than on consumer handsets. No verifiable evidence was found that the Ericsson brand has been licensed to a third party for mobile phones since 2012, and the claim is not made here. The Sony Ericsson name itself ended with the 2012 rebrand.

Timeline

  1. 1876 — A workshop in Stockholm: Lars Magnus Ericsson starts a mechanical workshop in Stockholm that becomes the company bearing his name. (Stockholm)
  2. 1918 — LM Ericsson is incorporated: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson is incorporated on 18 August as the result of a merger. (Stockholm)
  3. 1987 — The first handheld: Ericsson's first handheld mobile phone, the Hotline Pocket, is introduced.
  4. 1 Oct 2001 — Sony Ericsson begins: The handset businesses of Sony and Ericsson are merged into a 50-50 joint venture headquartered in London, with design in Lund. (London)
  5. 2001 — The first phone of the venture: The Sony Ericsson T68i is the first GSM phone released under the joint venture.
  6. 2007 — The peak: Sony Ericsson holds about 9% of the global mobile phone market, making it the fourth-largest vendor.
  7. 2010 — A switch to Android: Having been the main user of the UIQ platform, the company moves entirely to Android, and the Xperia line becomes its handset family.
  8. 27 Oct 2011 — Sony agrees to buy Ericsson out: Sony announces it will acquire Ericsson's half of the joint venture.
  9. Feb 2012 — The buyout completes: Sony takes full ownership on 15 February, paying €1.05 billion — reported at about US$1.46 billion — and renames the business Sony Mobile Communications; the Sony Ericsson brand ends.
  10. 2017 — Sony's shrinking share: Sony Mobile holds under 1% of the global mobile phone market, 4.8% in Europe and 16.3% in Japan.
  11. Sep 2020 — Ericsson buys Cradlepoint: Ericsson announces the acquisition of the wireless networking specialist in a deal reported at $1.1 billion.
  12. 1 Apr 2021 — Sony Mobile is absorbed: Sony Mobile is integrated into Sony Corporation and ceases to exist as a separate company.
  13. 21 Jul 2022 — Vonage: Ericsson completes its acquisition of Vonage, which becomes a wholly owned subsidiary, as the company pushes into enterprise communications. (Stockholm)
  14. 2026 — Networks, not phones: Ericsson operates as a mobile networks and software vendor with no handset business; the phones have been Sony's since 2012. (Stockholm)

Quick facts

Founded
1876, as a mechanical workshop in Stockholm run by Lars Magnus Ericsson
Parent company
Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson, incorporated on 18 August 1918
First handheld phone
the Hotline Pocket, 1987
Handset arm
Ericsson Mobile Communications
Joint venture
Sony Ericsson, agreed with Sony and operating from 1 October 2001
Ownership
50-50 between Sony and Ericsson
Headquarters of the venture
London, with design in Lund, Sweden
Peak
about 9% of the global mobile phone market in 2007, the fourth-largest vendor
Notable phones
T68i, T610, K800i (Cyber-shot), W810 (Walkman), Xperia arc S
Platform
UIQ, then Android from 2010
Buyout announced
27 October 2011
Buyout completed
15 February 2012, for €1.05 billion, reported as about US$1.46 billion
Renamed
Sony Mobile Communications
Ericsson's position since
no handset business
Sony Mobile
folded into Sony Corporation on 1 April 2021
Sony's share, 2017
under 1% globally, 4.8% in Europe, 16.3% in Japan
Ericsson today
a networks and software vendor; bought Cradlepoint in 2020 and completed the Vonage purchase on 21 July 2022

Lineage — where the name went

A Swedish telecoms company founded in 1876 that made one of the first handheld phones, gave its handset business to a joint venture with Sony, and then sold even that — keeping the networks business it still runs.

  1. 1876 — Lars Magnus Ericsson founded Ericsson (the Stockholm workshop that became the company)
  2. 1918 — Ericsson created Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (the parent company incorporated on 18 August)
  3. 1987 — Ericsson created Hotline Pocket (the company's first handheld mobile phone)
  4. Ericsson created Ericsson Mobile Communications (the handset arm that later became half of the venture)
  5. 2001 — Sony created Sony Ericsson (the joint venture with Ericsson)
  6. 2001 — Ericsson Mobile Communications merged into Sony Ericsson (Ericsson's handset business became the Swedish half)
  7. 2001 — Sony Ericsson created Sony Ericsson T68i (the first GSM phone released under the venture)
  8. 2006 — Sony Ericsson created Sony Ericsson K800i (the Cyber-shot camera phone)
  9. 2006 — Sony Ericsson created Sony Ericsson W810 (the Walkman music phone)
  10. 2012 — Sony acquired Sony Ericsson (bought Ericsson's half and renamed the business)
  11. 2012 — Sony Ericsson rebranded as Sony Mobile Communications (Sony Ericsson became Sony Mobile Communications)
  12. Sony Mobile Communications created Xperia (the Android range that continued under Sony)
  13. 2022 — Ericsson acquired Vonage (part of the shift into enterprise communications)

Entities in this tree: Ericsson (company, 1876); Lars Magnus Ericsson (person); Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (company); Hotline Pocket (product, 1987); Ericsson Mobile Communications (company); Sony (company); Sony Ericsson (company, 2001); Sony Ericsson T68i (product); Sony Ericsson K800i (product); Sony Ericsson W810 (product); Sony Mobile Communications (company, 2012); Xperia (brand); Vonage (company)

Sources

  1. Sony Mobile — Wikipedia (2026-09-20)
  2. Ericsson — Wikipedia (2026-09-20)
  3. 1876 — Lars Magnus Ericsson starts a mechanical workshop — Ericsson (2026-09-20)
  4. Ownership over the years — Ericsson (2026-09-20)
  5. Sony Completes Full Acquisition of Sony Ericsson — Sony Corporation via Internet Archive (2026-09-20) ↩
  6. Sony buys Ericsson out of mobile phone venture — Reuters (2026-09-20) ↩
  7. Ericsson Exits Handset Market with Sale of Sony Ericsson Stake to Sony for USD1.46 Bil. — S&P Global Market Intelligence (2026-09-20) ↩
  8. Ericsson exits mobile handset JV Sony Ericsson — The Indian Express (2026-09-20)
  9. Sony completes Ericsson buyout in handset venture — The Hindu BusinessLine (2026-09-20)
  10. Ericsson completes acquisition of Vonage — Ericsson (2026-09-20)
  11. Ericsson to buy networking specialist Cradlepoint in $1.1 bln 5G deal — Reuters (2026-09-20)
  12. Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson Form 20-F — U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (2026-09-20)

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