Compare Sony Ericsson Deals

Sony Ericsson is a joint venture established in 2001 by the Japanese consumer electronics company Sony Corporation and the Swedish telecommunications company Ericsson, specifically to make mobile phones. The aim was to combine Sony's consumer electronics expertise with Ericsson's technological leadership in communications sector.

With global management based in Hammersmith, London, Sony Ericsson has R&D teams in Sweden, Japan, China, Canada, the Netherlands, the US and India, as well as in the UK, with some 8,000 employees worldwide.

Ericsson, had been on the forefront of cellular phone innovation for decades. In 2001, it decided to divest its mobile phone business in 2001 following huge losses after a grisly mix-up involving a sterile chip production factory becoming contaminated and Ericsson’s major customer, Nokia, choosing to buy chips elsewhere as a result. This compromised Ericsson's ability to compete by preventing the launch of new handsets and production of current models.

So Sony and Ericsson joined their businesses in March 2002 and have so far lived happily ever after. The company has a full product portfolio covering all target groups under the Sony Ericsson umbrella – a dynamic range of classic, leading-edge and stylish handsets.

Notably, it introduced the Walkman-branded W series music phones in 2005 – the first music-centric series mobile phones. This kick-started a whole new market for portable music that was emerging at the time. Sony Ericsson's influence from Sony increased when the CyberShot-branded line of phones was introduced in 2006.

Notable for its strategic foresight - notably, it aims to manufacture serious volumes of phones in India by 2009 – the Sony Ericsson partnership goes from strength to strength.