India second largest sales market for Ericsson in October quarter

India became the second largest sales market for global communications services provider Ericsson in the October-December quarter as the company secured large contracts to supply sophisticated 5G equipment.

India contributed 6 percent of net sales for the telecom network equipment maker, a share smaller than only the United States, which contributed 41 per cent, Ericsson said on Friday.

Japan saw the third largest market for sales at 4 pe rcent, followed by both China and the United Kingdom at 6 percent, the consolidated results of the company showed. India was the second largest market even for the full year (January-December 2022), contributing 4 per cent of net sales, same as China and Japan.

"In the market area of South East Asia, Oceania and India, sales adjusted for comparable units and currency increased by 21 per cent primarily driven by 5G market share gains in India in Q4, 2022," the company said.

The company's global sales rose by 15 per cent in calendar year 2022.

A long term player in India, the Swedish giant has clinched partnerships with both the telecom companies currently racing for 5G domination, Reliance Jio and Bharti Airtel. Ericsson is deploying key 5G infrastructure such as power-efficient 5G Radio Access Network (RAN) products and solutions from the Ericsson Radio System and  E-band microwave mobile transport solutions.

Ericsson is Airtel’s long-standing connectivity partner and pan-India managed services provider. It is set to provide 5G connectivity in 12 circles for Bharti Airtel. Meanwhile, Reliance Jio has entered into long term strategic partnerships with Ericsson to facilitate its 5G SA rollout.

With 125 live networks in 55 countries to date, and around 50 per cent of the world's 5G traffic outside China now carried over Ericsson's radio networks, the company claims to be at the forefront of 5G around the world.

The company’s portfolio spans the following business areas: Networks, Cloud Software and Services, Enterprise Wireless Solutions, Global Communications Platform, and Technologies and New Businesses.