British agency counts mobile phone base station share: Huawei continues to rank first

Previously, the United States called on countries not to use Chinese companies' communication equipment in the next-generation communication standard 5G, citing "security risks". However, according to a recent report by the Nikkei, statistics from the UK's IHS Markit show that Huawei maintained a 30.9% share of mobile base station shipments in 2018, still ranking first, and its share has increased by 3 percentage points from before.

The second place is Sweden's Ericsson, with a share of 27%. The third place is Finland's Nokia, with 21.9%. The top three companies and their rankings are the same as last year. The report said that these three companies hold nearly 80% of the market share.

It is understood that some areas in the United States took the lead in launching 5G commercialization in the second half of 2018, but according to IHS Markit statistics, the impact of 5G products on mobile base station shipments in 2018 was minimal. In 2018, the market was shrinking overall, and shipments decreased by about US$4.5 billion compared with 2017, as it was "between two generations".

Because of this background, Huawei, which has a higher share in the current standards, has retained its top position. However, by 2019, 5G commercialization will be fully launched in countries around the world, and Huawei may be affected by the trade friction between China and the United States.

Despite the trade friction, Huawei's 5G commercial contracts are increasing. According to Huawei, as of July, it has signed 50 5G commercial contracts with 30 countries around the world. Many countries' 5G is built on the basis of existing 4G equipment, which should keep Huawei in a favorable position.