The Wall Street Journal has reported that Sony is looking to take over the reins from Ericsson after ten years of mobile device collaboration, in a move in which could could lead to a more coherent strategy across the company’s wide-spread gadget ecosystem.
The 50-50 joint venture is the world's sixth biggest mobile phone company.
The cost of such a move for Sony isn't completely clear due to Ericsson's extensive portfolio of mobile technology patents, however the WSJ quoted analysts estimating the Stockholm-based company could expect to pocket as much as $US1.7 billion ( $A1.74 billion).
By taking full control of the joint venture Sony would look to achieve stronger integration between core divisions including smartphone, computer tablets, hand-held videogame players and personal computers leading to reduced costs, sources close to the deal told the newspaper.
The Japanese electronics mogul has already shown promise in the Tablet S and its ability to interact with home entertainment devices. And its PlayStation brand has proven that it can play nice with smartphones like the Xperia Play.
Taking full control of Sony Ericsson would ultimately see it operating more like its rival Apple.
Australian respresentatives for Sony Ericsson did not respond to requests for comment by the time of publication.
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