Ericsson third-quarter operating profit lags forecasts

STOCKHOLM (Reuters) - Swedish mobile telecom equipment maker Ericsson posted third-quarter sales and operating profit below market expectations on Friday, weighed down by its key networks unit. Operating profit was 5.1 billion Swedish crowns ($604 million) compared to 3.9 billion in the year-ago quarter and below a mean forecast of 5.4 billion crowns in a Reuters poll of analysts. Sales at Ericsson, the world number one mobile network equipment maker, were 59.2 billion crowns, below a forecast o