Ericsson Named Top Company in IMS/VoLTE Market

There is very little doubt that companies across the globe are trying to adopt an LTE network as fast as they possibly can. The reasons for the accelerated adoption are the sheer number of different ways customers can actually take advantage of the fourth generation wireless network’s increased speeds. Voice-over-LTE (VoLTE) one of the fastest growing technologies in this field and several different companies are doing battle in order to be named the king of the hill, despite how early in the fight the market really is. A recent report by ABI research has named Ericsson the current leader in the IMS/VoLTE field, holding a slim lead over Alcatel Lucent and Nokia Siemens.

Ericsson is rated at the top of the heap thanks to its work in finding innovation in this particular field, as well as the sheer magnitude of different patents the company holds in this market. ABI says that Ericsson should be able to feel a pair of its closest competitors nipping at its heels in Alcatel Lucent and Nokia Siemens. ABI says that both of those companies have impressive portfolios and in some aspects they are actually superior to Ericsson. 

Ericsson holds the overall lead thanks to the Implementation Assessment, which takes market share, global and regional deployment, VoLTE trial activity, and the LTE/EPC “footprint” of a company. When all of these factors are put together, Ericsson wins the contest but they shouldn’t be taking victory laps just yet. 

"Ericsson has been the IMS leader from the starting gate, and this assessment affirms that position," says Joe Hoffman, principal analyst for mobile networks, "but their competitors are charging hard as the field makes the turn into the IMS / VoLTE backstretch.” 

The survey gives a clear edge over other competitors in this burgeoning market and that head start should help the trio stay at or near the top of this particular sector for a good while.