Ericsson said in its quarterly financial statement that it sees the growth of the cell phone market slowing during 2005. The announcement sent shares of Ericsson down, despite positive earnings news.
Booming mobile subscriber growth, which will see a third of the world's six billion people using a mobile phone in 2006, has forced operators this year to start spending again.
Some have been spending more than usual because of overdue network upgrades after years of underinvestment, but Ericsson said this effect was already tapering off.