STORY: Ericsson beat first-quarter profit forecasts.
Operating profit excluding restructuring charges rose unexpectedly to about $394 million, despite a 15% sales drop.
Ericsson said the gain included a one-off payment from the resolution of a commercial dispute.
Its profit figure was up from a year before and well ahead of analyst forecasts.
The telecoms equipment maker also said Tuesday it expects sales to stabilize in the second half of the year, as customers look to spend again.
The Swedish group pointed to recent contract wins and normalizing customer inventory levels in North America.
But it also predicted that the market for some 5G network gear would keep falling at least through the end of the year.
Telecoms equipment makers like Ericsson and rival Nokia have…
