By Gianluca Lo Nostro and Agnieszka Olenska

(Reuters) -Swedish telecoms equipment maker Ericsson reported a better-than-expected rise in quarterly earnings on Tuesday and played down the impact of U.S. tariffs.

Adjusted earnings before interest and taxes (EBIT) excluding restructuring charges were 15.4 billion Swedish crowns ($1.62 billion) in the quarter ended in September. That was 9.2% higher than the 14.1 billion crowns forecast in an Infront consensus poll of analysts provided by the company.

Cost savings and a dominant position in North America have helped Ericsson stay ahead of Nordic rival Nokia in the 5G race, but revenue weakness and tariffs have overshadowed its outlook.

The Swedish group has outperformed rivals in winning U.S. contracts, mainly a $14 billion deal with AT&T,

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