Nokia Promises More Cost Cuts After Q1 Loss

Struggling Finnish cellphone maker Nokia promised more, substantial cost cuts and said its sales chief was leaving after reporting a slightly bigger than expected first-quarter loss.

Nokia, which has switched to Microsoft's Windows operating system but is still struggling to compete with smartphone rivals Apple and Samsung Electronics, said on Thursday it would announce details of the extra cost cuts soon.

The company reported a loss of 0.08 euros per share for the quarter, one cent larger than analysts' expected according to Thomson Reuters StarMine. It warned last week of losses in the first two quarters of the year.

Chief executive Stephen Elop said sales results of new Lumia phones have been mixed.

"We exceeded expectations in markets including the United States, but establishing momentum in certain markets including the UK has been more challenging," he said in a statement.

Nokia said it was restructuring its sales team and that Colin Giles, executive vice president of sales, would leave the company in late June.

"There needs to be a meaningful turnaround in the second half of the year or serious questions will be asked about Nokia's future," said Ben Wood, head of research at CCS Insight.

At 1025 GMT, Nokia shares were up 1.1 percent at 3.06 euros. (Reporting By Tarmo Virki; Editing by Mark Potter)