President of Sony Mobile declines recent rumors of division’s sale

Just over a week ago, Sony revealed its plans to bring back profits to the company over the next few years. A big part of the report was regarding the company’s mobile division, the section of the company which has seen a major decline over the past years. Specifically, Sony mentioned in the report that cutting costs would be a must, and that they may even consider potential “partnerships or spinoffs”.

This isn’t the first time the company’s CEO has explained this, though. Back in January, CEO Kazuo Hirai was quoted saying, “Without drastic reforms such as joint ventures or alliances, [Sony’s mobile and TV businesses] will be in the red three years from now.” But just because the CEO voiced his opinion to the media, doesn’t mean there aren’t differences in opinion within the company. Now, it seems as though a sale of the mobile division may not be true, because Hiroki Totoki, head of Sony’s mobile division, has now denied rumors about a potential sale of the company’s mobile division.

Totoki told French newspaper Le Figaro:

At the beginning of February there was speculation about a sale of Sony Mobile. It’s completely untrue.
​

However, while the potential of a merger or partnership is now seemingly off the table, Totoki also admitted that the company’s mobile portfolio is too diverse and needs to be refocused. He also mentions that, since consumers are keeping their mobile devices for a longer period of time, Sony would begin slowing down their product launches.