ERICSSON says the virtual duopoly it’s enjoying in some Western markets since the exclusion of Huawei Technologies Co. won’t last forever.

The Swedish phone network equipment maker and Finland’s Nokia Oyj are thriving in markets including the United States and Britain since their powerful Chinese competitor was barred from 5G wireless supply deals worth tens of billions of dollars.

The United States, whose global campaign against Huawei opened that opportunity for the two Nordic vendors, will probably create new competitors, according to Ericsson chief executive officer Borje Ekholm.

“We understand the need for more vendor choices, and it is likely that there will be something with an American component,” Ekholm said.

The executive said he needs to be prepared for new rivals to emerge, given the known ambitions of phone carriers and governments seeking to boost homegrown alternatives.

The sidelining of Huawei underscored the risks of relying on only a handful of suppliers of critical communications infrastructure.

Smaller players such as South Korea’s Samsung Electronics Co. still lack the scale to compete globally, so operators and governments are now eager to find alternatives.

Former U.S. Attorney General William Barr has even suggested that the United States consider investing in Nokia and Ericsson. Ekholm said speculation about U.S. interest in the Swedish company is likely to continue.

The prospect of a new rival could be a blow to a company that’s made a successful turnaround under Ekholm and is riding high, with Huawei under pressure and Nokia suffering from missteps in the early stages of 5G development.

Since he took over as CEO in early 2017, Ericsson has gained a bigger share of all its major markets and the company’s shares have more than doubled. At the end of 2020, it commanded 35-40 percent of the market for radio access network equipment outside of China, according to research firm Dell’ Oro.

One way the United States might try to gain a stronger presence in the telecom infrastructure business is by promoting so-called “Open RAN” technologies that would allow operators greater choice by combining hardware and software from various vendors. (SD-Agencies)