Telecom Vendors

Nokia has announced that they have signed a five-year 5G deal with AST SpaceMobile, Inc., the company building the first and only space-based cellular broadband network accessible directly by standard 4G or 5G mobile devices. Under the deal, Nokia and AST SpaceMobile will work to achieve their joint ambition to expand universal coverage and connect underserved communities around the world. The launch of AST SpaceMobile’s BlueWalker 3 test satellite later this year will kick off global testing with mobile network operators on six continents.

CommScope’s DOCSIS leadership and end-to-end solution portfolio will be leveraged in the industry’s first DOCSIS 4.0 (D4.0) initiative in Europe. The company will deploy a new custom node and Remote MACPHY Device (RMD) platform, specifically for Liberty Global.

Nokia announced research that forecasts 5G subscriptions reaching 263 million in the Middle East and Africa (MEA) region by 2026. The 5G subscription growth will primarily be in Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries, including Saudi Arabia, the UAE, Qatar, Oman, Kuwait and Bahrain. Additionally, subscribers in South Africa, Nigeria and North African countries will increase adoption following the release of new spectrum. This trend is triggered by the increasing use of high-bandwidth consumer applications and industrial use cases.

Ericsson has shown strong business momentum in the second quarter (Q2) of 2022, despite a year-on-year (YoY) decline in gross margin. The telecom vendor continues to fulfill customer commitments, strengthen competitive advantage and invest in supply chain resilience as well as research and development (R&D).

Ericsson announces the appointment of Nicolas Blixell as Vice President and Head of Gulf Council Countries (GCC) effective 20 July 2022. As part of his role, Nicolas Blixell will be responsible for the GCC excluding the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, which is a separate market at Ericsson.

Nokia has announced that it is the overall project leader for 6G-ANNA, a German national-funded 6G lighthouse project. Beginning July 2022, Nokia will collaborate with the 29 partners in 6G-ANNA to lead and drive 6G research and standardization.

Ericsson has completed its acquisition of Vonage Holdings Corp. (Vonage). As a wholly-owned subsidiary of the Group, Vonage will become a separate business area undertaken as the Business Area Global Communications Platform (BGCP).

North America is forecast to lead the world in 5G subscription penetration in the next five years with nine-of-every-ten subscriptions in the region expected to be 5G by 2027, according to Ericsson’s latest Mobility Report. The report also predicts that current global 5G subscriptions will pass the one billion milestone by the end of 2022.

Nokia continued to execute well in the second quarter (Q2) of 2022, showing an 11% year-on-year (YoY) change in net sales and a 31% YoY change in profit for the period. The operating margin also increased to 9.6% while the gross margin slightly declined to 40.2%.

Amdocs announced the launch of its first UAE office, illustrating the growing importance of partnerships in the Gulf and the opportunities Amdocs sees for growth within the region.