Mobile World Live brings you our top three picks of the week with AT&T inking an open RAN deal with Ericsson, Nokia CEO’s defending its Mobile Network unit and Apple warning India it could miss production targets.
AT&T commits $14B to open RAN with Ericsson
What happened: US operator AT&T shook-up the telecoms sector like a snow globe when it unveiled an open RAN partnership with Ericsson worth $14 billion over five years.
Why it matters: The network deal came at the expense of Nokia, which was one of the operator’s open RAN vendors. Igal Elbaz, AT&T SVP of technology and network services and network CTO, argued the partnership will benefit the broader industry, although it remains to be seen what it will mean for smaller open RAN vendors including NEC or Mavenir.
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Nokia comes out fighting after AT&T blow
What happened: Nokia CEO Pekka Lundmark stood by progress for its Mobile Networks business unit, despite pushing back a financial target in the wake of AT&T handing rival Ericsson a bumper open RAN contract.
Why it matters: Despite the blow, Nokia emphasised the quality of its products and “wide-ranging relationship” with AT&T across wireless, fixed, cloud and other network technologies. But Danske Bank analyst Sami Sarkamies told MarketWatch “developments in the US could trigger a break-up of Nokia or acquisition of at least Mobile Networks by a US industrial buyer which would be better equipped to charm the local customers”.
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Apple warns of India disruption over USB-C plan
What happened: Apple reportedly warned it could fail to hit production targets in India if the country pushes ahead with plans to follow the European Union (EU) by introducing universal charging ports.
Why it matters: Reuters reported Apple told Indian government officials at a meeting it wants older iPhone models to be exempt from proposed rules to introduce universal USB-C charging for devices by June 2025, or at least be granted an extension until mid-2026 if they are not.
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