Ericsson announced Rafiah Ibrahim (pictured) will leave her position as SVP and head of market area Middle East and Africa later this year, taking on a role as adviser to CEO Borje Ekholm instead.

Ibrahim, who has held her current position since April 2017, will assume her new role on 31 August.

Ekholm said Ibrahim “successfully led the merger of two important markets, Middle East and Africa, increasing customer value and securing scale and efficiency as well as implementing a robust operational structure” and has built strong customer relationships in the region “not least visible in the recently announced 5G contracts.”

These include deals with Etisalat, STC and Ooredoo Qatar.

Last month Ericsson said 5G is expected to reach 30 million subscriptions for enhanced mobile broadband in the Middle East and Africa by the end of 2024, representing 2 per cent of total mobile subscriptions.

Meanwhile the vendor had two more announcements to make: it is working with Volvo Construction Equipment and operator Telia on Sweden’s first 5G network for industrial use; and it is set to modernise XL Axiata’s transport network in Indonesia with 5G-ready routers over the next three years, beginning in Q2.