The pattern in Ericsson’s second quarter results was similar to that of its first – unexciting on paper, the figures nevertheless showed some signs of progress towards recovery. The Swedish vendor made a small profit for the first time in almost two years, even though it has increased spending in some key areas, notably R&D, where investment was SEK9.8bn ($1.1bn) in Q2 2018, compared to SEK8bn ($900m) a year earlier. That is a positive sign because, when CEO Börje Ekholm took the helm at the start of 2017, he seemed focused primarily on cost cutting. That was necessary of course – he intensified efforts by his predecessor, Hans Vestberg, to reduce costs, with a better sense that drastic action was…