Fujitsu quits phone business, report says
The company could be the latest Japanese brand to want out of the phone industry.
Fujitsu is working on industrial and consumer applications for the internet of things.
Another big name in Japanese technology is apparently quitting the phone industry. Fujitsu is reported to be looking to offload its smartphone business to spend more time on artificial intelligence and the internet of things.
Nikkei reports that Lenovo and Foxconn may swoop in for Fujitsu's mobile phone unit, which has had success in Japan with the Raku-Raku feature phone brand. That would let the company turn its focus to connected devices like the Ontenna hairclip for deaf people or industrial devices.
A Fujitsu spokesperson said that after splitting off its mobile phone business last year, the company is "currently considering various possibilities, including business alliances with other companies."
Fujitsu would be the latest big-name Japanese brand to ditch phones in the face of a market dominated by more recent contenders Apple and Samsung. Mitsubishi, Toshiba, NEC and Panasonic have all abandoned phones in recent years, leaving Sony and Sharp among the few remaining Japanese phone manufacturers.