Germany's Siemens AG sees a slight improvement in the mobile networks market this year, the head of its ICM mobile phones and networks unit said in an interview with a German newspaper.
"For this year, we see light at the end of the tunnel and expect a slight improvement in the market," Rudi Lamprecht was quoted as saying in the Euro am Sonntag paper on Sunday.
He said the mobile networks market was emerging from a crisis, having shrunk 20 percent for two years in a row.
Lamprecht said pricing pressure continued in the mobile handsets market.
"It's difficult to say how long this will continue. Competition continues to rise. At the moment the prices are still under intense pressure," he said.
He described as "ambitious" an internal target of eight to 12 percent overall margins for ICM, saying it was difficult to predict the market even a year down the line, but added that the unit was working hard to reach the goal.
ICM, also known as Siemens Mobile, said on Thursday first-quarter operating profit more than doubled year-on-year to 123 million euros ($156.1 million) as it sold a record 15.2 million mobile phones.
Rivals Sony Ericsson and market leader Nokia also benefited from booming demand in the sector.
But Siemens Chief Executive Heinrich von Pierer said then that falling average selling prices for handsets would make it hard for Siemens Mobile to grow profits despite an expanding market.
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