Nokia’s announcement of a $3.5bn 5G network deal with T-Mobile USA will be music even to the ears of its competitors, because it reinforces the notion that at-scale 5G RAN spending will start at an earlier stage than was earlier assumed. It is certainly true that some operators are bringing forward deployments of initial 5G New Radio Non-Standalone (NR NSA) networks, under shareholder and regulatory pressure to act quickly on 5G, and to seize any first mover advantage that may be possible. However, Rethink Research’s most recent operator survey, which questioned senior executives from over 70 Top 200 MNOs, indicated that, as usual at the start of a new generation, the headlines are dominated by a few fast movers, and…