国际英语新闻：Nokia profits fall 31% in second quarter

HELSINKI, July 22 (Xinhua) -- Nokia's second quarter operating profits fell 31 percent compared to one year ago to 295 million euros (380 million U.S. dollars), the company said Thursday.

Net sales for Nokia, the world's largest mobile phone manufacturer, in the April-June period stood at 10 billion euros (12.9 billion dollars), one percent higher than a year ago, the company said.

Nokia's total mobile device volume in the second quarter was 111.1 million units, up 8 percent year-on-year. Despite the slight growth in sales, Nokia put its second-quarter share in the global handset market at 33 percent, down from an estimated 35 percent one year ago.

Nokia CEO Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, who is under mounting pressure over the stellar success of Apple's iPhone, said in a statement that the company has several reasons to be optimistic.

Kallasvuo said the global handset market has continued to grow at a healthy pace, led by some of the less mature markets where Nokia is strong.

In addition to that, the company believes that the Nokia N8, the first of its Symbian 3 devices, will have a user experience superior to that of any smartphone Nokia has created. The Nokia N8 is scheduled to be shipped by the end of the third quarter.

The Wall Street Journal quoted unnamed sources earlier this week as saying that Nokia would sack Kallasvuo by the end of the month. Kallasvuo, who has been faulted for failing to claw back high-end handset market share from Apple and Google Android-equipped rivals, didn't address the rumor but demanded a stop to speculation about his future.