www.WirelessFederation.com/news: According to Sony Ericsson, it will axe 2,000 jobs worldwide after crashing to losses of 358 million euros (£316 million) in the first quarter of 2009. The firm is managing with a slump in demand and the cuts will come under a 400 million euro (£353 million) cost-saving programme.

President Dick Komiyama said, “The first quarter of this year has been extremely challenging for Sony Ericsson due to continued weak global demand. We are aligning our business to the new market reality with the aim of bringing the company back to profitability as quickly as possible.” The firm is murky about prospects for the rest of the year. It is forecasted that the global handset market for 2009 will contract at least 10%.