Just like Apple’s fiscal quarterly report was boosted by bumper iPhone sales, Nokia’s Interim report for the fourth quarter of 2009 that they released yesterday, shows that the company’s profits were also boosted by their line-up of smartphones, such as the N900, N97, and N97 Mini. 

Nokia’s net income grew to €948 million (just over R10 billion), which is up 64% from a year ago, thanks to the sales performance of their smartphone line-up and cost cutting measures, which include layoffs, undertaken by the Finnish company.

The world’s biggest producer of cellphones shipped 126.9 million handsets around the globe during the fourth quarter, an almost 40% share of the global market according to the Wall Street Journal. 24.3 million of the 126.9 million devices were sold in the Middle East and Africa region, up from 18.2 million in the same period last year. Smartphones contributes a whopping 52.4 million units of the total number sold, which is up from 47 million the same time last year.

“We grew our market share in smartphones in the fourth quarter, driven by the successful launch of new touch and QWERTY models,” said Olli-Pekka Kallasvuo, Nokia’s CEO. “Our performance in smartphones, combined with continuing success in the emerging markets, helped us increase sales in our Devices & Services unit, both quarter-on-quarter and year-on-year. Our solid results also owe a good deal to world class supply chain management and impressive sales execution.”