Stockholm - Nordic telecommunications group Telia Sonera on Wednesday posted higher pre-tax income for the fourth quarter of 2008, citing higher sales for its mobile and broadband operations.

The group said earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) was 8.2 billion kronor (1 billion dollars), up 15 per cent year-on-year.

Sales in the quarter increased 13 per cent to 28 billion kronor.

Chief executive Lars Nyberg said the group had "to be prepared for a potentially drawn-out economic downturn that may affect consumer and corporate behavior."

The slowdown in the Baltic countries had not impacted phone use during 2008, but there was an indication of lower traffic in its Eurasian markets during January 2009, the group said.

For the full year of 2008, net sales increased 8 per cent to 103 billion kronor, while EBITDA increased 6 per cent to 32.9 billion kronor.

Telia Sonera and its associated companies had some 134.8 million customers at the end of 2008, up 20 million year-on-year.

The group's 5-billion-kronor cost-cutting programme was under way. So far it had resulted in savings of 2 billion kronor, it said. According to earlier announcements, it will result in the layoff of some 2,900 employees, two-thirds in Sweden and one-third in Finland.

Net sales in Eurasia, including Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Tajikistan, Nepal and Cambodia, rose 45 per cent, the group said.

Northern Europe's largest telecommunications concern was formed through the December 2002 merger of Sweden's Telia and Finland's Sonera.

It also has operations in Norway, Denmark, the Baltic states, Russia and Turkey. (dpa)