Cisco and Ericsson have added a combined WiFi offering, called Evolved WiFi Networks (EWN), to their portfolio, but the announcement has done little to boost market confidence in their strategic alliance, first announced in November 2015. Of course, complex partnerships between giant companies with very different cultures and behaviors take time to deliver visible results. However, whether this is a matter of poor communication or poor execution, there is a clear contrast between the perceived impact of the Cisco-Ericsson tie-up and that of the Nokia-Alcatel merger. The former was touted by its participants as a way to avoid the challenges of a full merger and to deliver results more quickly, but in reality, the new Nokia made more significant progress…