In our special Mobile World Congress edition of Wireless Watch, we identified changes in the mobile network semiconductor landscape as one of the key trends of 2019. The opportunity for chipmakers is the gradual shift from vendor-specific developments to merchant chips, as suppliers seek the economies of the open market. But there are two challenges – ensuring that the commoditization of network hardware, driven by virtualization, does not mean a devaluing of the underlying silicon; and the growing need, for larger chip providers at least, to deliver an end-to-end platform rather than stay in one or two comfort zones. To add a further dose of uncertainty to the market this year, there may be further consolidation – following a major…