The total exclusion of Ericsson and Nokia from China Mobile’s latest $1.15bn contract for converged 4G/5G core infrastructure marks a further significant step in the Balkanization of global mobile telecoms between Chinese and American axes. Until now, Ericsson and Nokia have continued to pick up crumbs from such contracts, winning 2% and 4% respectively of the even bigger $5.9bn contract awarded in July 2021 for 700 MHz equipment, involving China Mobile and new mobile entrant China Broadcast Network (CBN). It is true that the country’s domestic suppliers have picked up the lion’s share of mobile contracts in China for years, but Huawei also enjoyed significant 4G growth in Europe and elsewhere, and at home, the continued presence of the Nordic…