Nokia, the world's largest and most profitable mobile phone maker, said yesterday it may beat its fourth-quarter earnings target as it benefits from sales of new internet phones this Christmas.

Nokia, which makes one in three of all handsets sold around the world, said it would gain significant market share this quarter - the most important sales period of the year for consumer electronics.

Nokia said it expected pro forma earnings per share for the fourth quarter to be at the upper end or even above its earlier indicated range of €0.18-€0.20 ($0.16-$0.18).