Ericsson is one of the many corporations whose name is dropped as a potential suitor of Newbridge.
Pre-tax earnings rose to 8.48 billion Swedish crowns ($985 million) in the last quarter of 1999 from 6.11 billion crowns a year earlier, the world's third-largest cellular phone maker said. Sales rose 25 per cent to 73.75 billion crowns.
Ericsson said mobile phone sales grew 33 per cent in the quarter, helped by new models. For the whole of 1999, however, growth in sales was 3 per cent, a result of the sluggish introduction of the new phones.
