Nokia Siemens Networks Tops Infrastructure Supplier Rankings

­In an open-ended question asking service providers who they consider to be the top three mobile infrastructure vendors, all respondents named Nokia Siemens Networks, reports a new survey by Infonetics Research.

The sames service providers rated 5 mobile infrastructure vendors (Alcatel-Lucent, Cisco, Ericsson, Huawei, Nokia Siemens Networks) on 8 criteria: technology, product roadmap, security, management, price-to-performance ratio, pricing, financial stability, and service and support.

Ericsson received the highest ratings for service and support.

"Based on our recent mobile infrastructure service provider survey, market share reporting, and other carrier surveys, one message is clear: Huawei has really improved its global image. Our discussions with mobile operators indicate Huawei is no longer perceived as a seller of cheap products, but rather as having good technology and offering good value for the price. Huawei is overtaking Alcatel-Lucent on many fronts, and is now en route to attacking Nokia Siemens Networks' market position in the mobile infrastructure space. And watch out, because ZTE is on the rise as well," notes Stéphane Téral, Infonetics Research's principal analyst for mobile and FMC.

An addition, a growing majority of mobile operators are looking at cutting operating expenses by either outsourcing or sharing their RAN, so criteria related to this strategy have become key in the vendor selection process.

The survey, part of Infonetics' Mobile and LTE Continuous Research Service (CRS), asked service providers about their familiarity with and ratings of mobile infrastructure vendors, which criteria are most important when selecting a vendor, and which features are most critical when purchasing RAN, mobile switching, mobile packet core, and Home Location Register (HLR) equipment.

Posted to the site on 21st October 2009