MANILA, Philippines – Sony announced it was pulling out its mobile business from many countries including the Philippines as they focus efforts on just 4 regions: Taiwan, Hongkong, Japan, and Europe.

What’s always in the mind of consumers whenever news like this breaks is continued customer support. Will they still be able to get first-party support? Sony Philippines says yes.

“Sony is committed to continuing customer support operations,” said Sony in an email to Rappler. 

They also reiterated that they’re now focusing on the 4 markets, which they hope will “drive profitability and future prospects in the 5G era.” Sony is setting its sights on the next generation of phones, 5G, as they essentially wave goodbye to a 4G era that’s been less than kind to them. Specifically, the company owns just 1% of the global market, having shipped 6.5 million phones annually, primarily in Japan and Europe, Reuters reported.

By contrast, market leader Samsung shipped 71.9 million units in the first quarter of 2019 alone, in a smartphone market that’s been in decline for 6 consecutive quarters starting in the fourth quarter of 2017. Following Samsung are Huawei and Apple, with the former being the only one to have shown growth among the 3 leaders. 

Sony isn’t expected to be among the top makers anytime soon but it’s hoping to at least be profitable by its next fiscal year (April 2020 to March 2021), reducing overall costs by 57% to reach some profitability.

Sony first entered the phone business via a venture with Sweden’s Ericsson before Sony took full control in 2012. 

While sales have ceased in many regions in Asia, Central and South America, Oceania and the Middle East, Sony said that they “will keep monitoring the market situations and business feasibility.” – Rappler.com