UPDATE 1-Altera reaffirms Q2 sales view, cites Asia strength

* Reaffirms Q2 sales up 2-7 pct sequentially

* Strong demand for Asian 2G, 3G wireless

* Sales of 65nm devices up sharply, 40nm to double from Q1

SAN FRANCISCO, June 1 (Reuters) - Programmable chipmaker Altera Corp (ALTR.O) on Monday reaffirmed its forecast for second-quarter sales to gain 2 percent to 7 percent from the first quarter, driven by strong demand for Asian wireless networks.

The company expects sales of 40-nanometer devices to be on track to double from first-quarter levels, but credits sharp increases in growth of 65-nanometer devices for driving gains in the current quarter. [ID:nWNAB5291]

Altera has said the rollout of third-generation mobile networks across China, the world's largest telecommunications market, will play an increasingly important role in jump-starting growth for the company.

The country is expanding a nascent third-generation telecoms network nationwide.

In April, the company reported weaker-than-expected quarterly earnings but beat Wall Street estimates on revenue, thanks mainly to strong growth in Asian sales [ID:nN21497271]

Its shares, which closed at $17.66 on Nasdaq, held steady in after-hours trading on Monday. (Reporting by David Lawsky; Editing by Richard Chang)