Following Sony’s full-year results yesterday, company executives reiterated just how much an effort it is making to expand its reach with carriers. It was a point that came up again and again in the earnings call, and we’ve included a few choice quotes below.
Everyone knows that Sony needs to do better in markets such as the United States and the company recognises this too. It says that it is in discussions with US carriers, other than T-Mobile. Recently we have seen a number of leaks for a Verizon-branded Xperia Z2, so it seems some of this discussions must have reached an advanced stage, regardless of whether we’ll see it appear or not.
Geographic and carrier footprints to expand in FY14
Casey Keister [Sony Investor Relations]: “In the Mobile Communications segment, which is now made up predominantly of our smartphone business, we plan on expanding our geographical and carrier footprints in fiscal ’14. Profits are expected to grow but not significantly, due to an increasing developing and marketing cost resulting from an expansion in our product portfolio.”
Sony talking to carriers in the US
Kenichiro Yoshida [Sony CFO]: “As for the U.S., we are currently providing our mobile phone to the T-Mobile. And as you know, relatively, T-Mobile market share is small. And currently, we are talking with other telecom carriers in United States. Also, in China and also in Brazil, this year is a challenge year to expand our business domain.”
Focus on expanding carrier relationships
Kenichiro Yoshida [Sony CFO]: “We view the smartphone business as a B2B business, with the telecom carriers as our customers, and therefore, we are working hard to enhance our relationships with them. We are also focused on managing operational risks.”
