Sweden’s Ericsson Cutting 170 More in North Carolina

The cell phone plant once employed 1,800. After this latest round of layoffs, only two dozen workers will remain.

The cell phone manufacturer is counting on its upcoming Idou smartphone, and its launch of mobile movie and music services, to help it compete with Apple, BlackBerry and Palm.

Sony Ericsson is a joint venture established in 2001 by Sony Corporation and Sweden’s Ericsson to make mobile phones. The company’s global management is based in London, and it has research & development teams in Sweden, Japan, China, Germany, the United States, India, Pakistan and the United Kingdom.

In 2008, it was the fifth-largest mobile phone manufacturer in the world, after Nokia, Samsung, LG and Motorola.