Matsushita, Ericsson to Form Mobile Phone Alliance, Nikkei Says
By Tomoko Yamazaki
Tokyo, Sept. 21 (Bloomberg) -- Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. and Ericsson AB will form an alliance to develop and sell mobile phones based on a new standard known as the wideband code division multiple access technology, the Nihon Keizai newspaper said, without citing sources.
As part of the move, Matsushita Communication Industrial Co., a unit of Matsushita Electric, will spend 5 billion yen ($47 million) to build a new plant in Europe next year, the paper said.
Leading Japanese electronics makers are forming alliances with foreign counterparts to expand product lineup and reach out to more consumers. NEC Corp. said yesterday it will jointly make computer server components with Intel Corp., the world's biggest chipmaker.
Ericsson is the world's third-biggest mobile phone maker with a 10.5 percent global market share, while Matsushita Communication is the fifth-biggest with a 5.5 percent share, the paper said.
(Nihon Keizai, 9/21, front page) For the Nihon Keizai Web site, see {NKEI } |
