At the turn of the year, the most prominent of the battlegrounds over Huawei’s role in 5G was Sweden – not, of course, because this is one of the largest markets for 5G equipment contracts, but because it is the home of Ericsson. The Swedish government has made it a condition of the upcoming 5G spectrum auction (in the 3.5 GHz and 2.3 GHz bands) that winners must not deploy Huawei or ZTE equipment. In a rare show of unity, both Huawei and Ericsson have protested against the decision. Ericsson already has the home advantage when bidding for major deals in its homeland, so will benefit little from sanctions against its arch-rival – but stands to lose a lot more…