Nokia sees double

HELSINKI (AP) — Wireless and fixed-network equipment maker Nokia on Thursday reported a smaller-than-expected profit and a double-digit fall in sales in the first quarter due to a market weakened by a lack of clients investing in 5G technology.

The Espoo, Finland-based company reported a net profit of 501 million euros ($535 million) for the January-March period, up 46% from 342 million euros a year earlier. The figure was still lower than analysts had expected.

One-off gains from Nokia’s licensing business contributed to the profit.

Net income attributable to shareholders was 497 million euros, up from from 332 million euros a year earlier. Nokia’s sales were down 20% at 4.7 billion euros.

The ongoing weakness in the telecom equipment market, where operators are cutting back on investments into 5G and other technology because of economic uncertainty and high financing costs, prevailed in the first quarter “as expected,” Nokia’s CEO Pekka Lundmark said.