Ericsson leads global RAN rankings as Nokia and Huawei follow in AI shift

HAMPSHIRE: The race to control mobile networks is getting a new signal boost, and artificial intelligence is calling the shots. A new global study by Juniper Research has ranked Ericsson as the leading Radio Access Network (RAN) vendor in 2026, with Nokia and Huawei following closely behind.

The report credits Ericsson’s top position to its strong contributions to the O-RAN Alliance and the growing efficiency and performance of its AI-RAN solutions. It highlights how artificial intelligence is increasingly shaping network design, energy use and operational performance across global telecom infrastructure.

AI-RAN is emerging as a major new force in the sector, adding fresh competitive dynamics and forcing operators to rethink long-term investment strategies. According to Ardit Ballhysa, AI-RAN is set to become the next key growth engine in the RAN market, although early adoption is expected to focus on improving efficiency and reducing total cost of ownership before large-scale rollout.

The study notes that while the promise of AI-RAN is significant, operators will likely deploy it cautiously at first due to the additional funding required to scale the technology.

It also points to a shifting industry landscape where traditional competition is giving way to platform-driven differentiation. The report highlights that vendors are now being judged less on hardware performance alone, such as massive MIMO and spectral efficiency, and more on their software ecosystems and cloud-native capabilities.

Despite overall market consolidation, with Mavenir exiting RAN hardware and NEC scaling back its RAN ambitions, the study identifies new momentum from emerging players. One example is SynaXG, which is positioning itself as a fully cloud-native AI-RAN vendor.

Juniper Research said this shift reflects growing operator demand for flexible platforms offering cloud-native architecture, AI-enabled optimisation and lifecycle management, delivered through systems such as Cloud RAN and AI-RAN.

The firm’s Competitor Leaderboard provides a detailed assessment of leading vendors, analysing their portfolios, partnerships and strategic strengths, alongside tailored recommendations for the industry.

As telecom networks continue their shift towards software-defined intelligence, the RAN battleground is increasingly being defined not by towers and radios, but by platforms, algorithms and automation at scale.