For a few days this week, Ericsson was able to boast a key technical advantage over Huawei, its longstanding nemesis. The Swedish vendor s new 5G radio unit, featuring 64 transmitters and receivers, weighed in at just 20 kilograms when it entered the boxing ring of the mobile infrastructure market. That was 45% less than its predecessor and 5 kilograms lighter than Huawei s equivalent, which had previously set the benchmark.
It has turned out to be a short-lived advantage. Just days later, at MWC Shanghai, Huawei showed off an even lighter unit. Like Ericsson s, it is an advanced massive MIMO unit with 64 transmitters and receivers. But at 19 kilograms, according to Huawei, it is precisely 1 kilogram less than the Swedish version. It is as if Huawei knowing what Ericsson had planned made an extra effort to spoil any Swedish celebrations and regain the title.