Ericsson has joined Nokia in supporting BT’s replacement of Huawei 5G equipment in London and several other major UK cities.
In September, BT announced a deal with Nokia that would make the Finnish vendor its largest equipment supplier. Today, BT revealed it has also selected Ericsson as a key partner for 5G deployments in London, Edinburgh, Belfast, Cardiff and additional urban areas.
Ru Bhikha, mobiles expert at Uswitch, says this combination of suppliers sends a clear signal: BT’s 5G rollout remains on track and consumers can be confident that investing in a 5G handset will deliver value.
BT accelerated plans to replace Huawei equipment after the UK government announced a ban in July. Operators are prohibited from buying new Huawei equipment after 31 December 2020, and existing Huawei gear must be removed by 2027.
Philip Jansen, CEO of BT, commented:
“Our customers deserve the best network and we are delivering. We’re the UK leader in 5G and are excited to be working with Ericsson as a key partner to maintain that market leadership.
Through this deal, we will continue to drive the best mobile experiences for our customers. The lightning-fast speeds of 5G will help them develop their businesses, stream a growing choice of content over our network, and stay in touch with colleagues and friends around the world.”
Ericsson’s equipment is expected to handle about half of BT’s 5G traffic in the cities where it is deployed.
Börje Ekholm, President and CEO of Ericsson, added:
“BT has a clear direction in how it wants to drive its 5G ambitions in the UK and we are delighted to be their partner in delivering that.
Having already been selected to partner in 5G Core, we are pleased to strengthen the relationship further with this deal that will deliver high-performance and secure 5G to their customers across the UK’s major cities.
By deploying 5G in these key areas, we are again demonstrating our technology leadership in population-dense and high-traffic locations.”
The ban on Huawei equipment has benefited its two major rivals, Nokia and Ericsson, which are securing contracts to replace the Chinese vendor’s presence worldwide.
Kester Mann, Director of Consumer and Connectivity at CCS Insight, notes that Ericsson’s win is another example of the company stepping into the gap left by Huawei. However, he cautions that the trend raises concerns about vendor diversity as operators grow increasingly reliant on a shrinking set of leading suppliers.
Analysts warn the Huawei ban may slow the UK’s 5G rollout. A recent report cautions that delays could prevent the UK from fully capturing up to £108 billion in economic benefits and the creation of 350,000 jobs outside London and the South-East over the next decade.
(Photo by Hannah Busing on Unsplash)
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