ABI Research ranked Nokia Siemens Networks first in its macro basestation Competitive Assessment thanks to its high scores in Innovation and Implementation categories. Ericsson was ranked second and also the best-in-class in the Implementation category. Alcatel-Lucent came in at number 3 with best-in-class scores in Innovation.
“The macro RAN vendor market is changing rapidly with architectures evolving towards distributed HetNets and legacy vendors examining their strategies and positioning as the next CapEx investment cycle gains momentum for 4G,” says Nick Marshall, principal analyst. “In this assessment we placed a heavy emphasis on 4G/LTE and advanced feature support and innovation as we ranked these companies and we expect each company to bring its own unique strengths to this market as they engage for market share worldwide.”
ABI Research ranked Alcatel-Lucent as the most innovative vendor with three best–in-class scores for Innovation in the areas of R&D Investment and Commitment, Small Cell and HetNet Development, and TCO Innovation. Nokia Siemens Networks finished second in Innovation with best-in-class scores in Essential IP, Advanced Features Roadmap, and Multi-protocol support. Huawei rounded the top three with top scores in basestation silicon.
Ericsson achieved first in the Implementation category with the most LTE contracts and subscriber potential among the vendors from networks equipped by Ericsson. Nokia Siemens Networks ranked second in our Implementation category with a best-in-class score for LTE RAN contracts, while Huawei finished third thanks to its leading RAN market share.