Ericsson banks on a high five, all set for the 5G battle in India

Beyond its battle with Reliance Communications over dues, the Swedish multinational is also bracing for a battle against its aggressive competitors Huawei, ZTE, Samsung and Nokia to sell gear for 5G

It’s been a low-profile player, selling telecom gear to most of the Indian telcos for decades. But Ericsson has suddenly been in the arclights for a different reason. It is fighting a bitter public battle in the courts for months with its one-time client Reliance Communications to recover Rs 550 crore, which the telco has not paid for availing its managed services. The Supreme Court this week issued a notice to the Anil Ambani-promoted company and sought a reply within four weeks and also allowed it to deposit in the registry Rs 118 crore by way of two demand drafts.