Stockholm - Mobile telephone maker Sony Ericsson on Friday announced plans to cut 400 jobs in Sweden, mainly at its base in Lund, and was to begin talks with unions.

Sony Ericsson management in April said some 2,000 employees were to be cut from its global workforce as part of plans to achieve cost savings of 400 million euros (533 million dollars) that were to be carried out by mid-2010.

On April 17, the group posted a pre-tax loss excluding restructuring costs of 358 million euros for the first-quarter 2009.

The Sony Ericsson joint venture was formed in 2001 between Sweden's Ericsson and Japan's Sony. The group has some 10,000 employees worldwide and about 4,500 in Sweden.

The 400 positions to be trimmed in Sweden included 160 employees and some 250 consultants, the group said in a statement, adding that further cuts in Lund could not be ruled out.