Ericsson and Huawei battled for leadership in the Radio Access Network market throughout 2012, according to a new study from ABI Research. Both vendors were closely matched in RAN market share, with about 24 per cent each during the year, followed by Nokia Siemens Networks, Alcatel-Lucent, ZTE, Samsung and NEC. In the fourth quarter of 2012 Ericsson picked up 3 points of market share, followed by Samsung and Nokia Siemens Networks. Those gains came at the expense of Huawei, which lost almost 5 points of share in the quarter, according to ABI Research analyst Nick Marshall. "Rankings for the full year place Ericsson and Huawei in the joint No. 1 position followed by Nokia Siemens Networks unchanged at No. 3, Alcatel-Lucent unchanged at No. 4 and ZTE at No. 5," added Marshall. Article