Ericsson Named Leader of Microwave Vendors
Independent market research fififirm, IHS, has published its new Microwave Network Strategies and Vendor Leadership report: Global Service Provider Survey, which highlights operators’ perceptions of microwave equipment suppliers.
The report surveyed a significant global sample of operators, representing 23 per cent of 2016 worldwide telecom capex. Ericsson has extended the leadership in key vender selection criteria it secured in previous years of the report, and now leads in eight out of the ten categories.
This year, 67 per cent of respondents named Ericsson as the top microwave manufacturer, ten points ahead of the closest competitor in the category. 62 per cent of respondents said they currently had Ericsson microwave equipment installed in their network. On top of this, 90 per cent of service providers had a familiarity with Ericsson microwave offerings, more than any other supplier.
Head of Product Area Network Infrastructure, Ericsson, Nishant Batra, said; “Microwave is playing an increasingly important role in facilitating the rapid expansion of LTE and future 5G networks, and by 2021, we predict it will connect 65 percent of all radio sites. Mobile backhaul and microwave specifically are key areas for us and this report reflects our commitment to be the leading microwave provider. By investing in the right portfolio for our customers, we have enabled them to reduce total cost of ownership and provide the capacity and performance expected from top performing networks.”
Most importantly, respondents ranked ten criteria for selecting microwave manufacturers.
In order of importance, the criteria are: product reliability, price-to-performance ratio, service and support, pricing, product roadmap, solution breadth, security, management solutions, technology innovation, and financial stability.
Ericsson is the leader in eight out of ten categories, including: product reliability, price-to-performance ratio, service and support, product roadmap, solution breadth, security, management solution and technology innovation.
Prepared by Research Director, Mobile Backhaul and Small Cells, IHS Market, Richard Webb, the report recognises Ericsson as a long-term pioneer of microwave and states: “This survey shows that Ericsson’s reputation in the market remains rock solid and… it remains perceived as the leading vendor in most categories in this year’s survey, extending further its leadership position,” the report said.