Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) are the world’s top two vendors respectively when viewed from the perspective of subscribers being served by their telecom solutions, reports the New York Times.

The report says that Ericsson and NSN’s network solutions serve about 355 million subscribers across the world, a clear lead when compared to the world’s largest mobile service provider, Vodafone which has 287 million subscribers on its fold.

The report says that the two telecom vendors are banking big time on network outsourcing contracts. It points out that the two vendors are particularly strong in Europe with major players opting for their services. As per the report, the business for the two companies is only set to grow in future as operators focus on cost savings.

TelecomTiger however disagrees with the report. Firstly the report takes into consideration the trends for the last six years. This was the time when Chinese vendors Huawei and ZTE had not entered the scene on a comprehensive scale.

The entry of the two vendors has certainly changed the market scenario. It has put a lot of pressure on the margins of the European vendors. Huawei claims to have emerged at the top in terms of new contracts gained. ZTE too has managed to notch up significant number of subscribers.

Additionally the two players are dominant in world’s largest mobile services market i.e. China and also have started to gain foothold in the world’s fastest growing mobile services market i.e. India.

Even if the report from New York Times is assume to be presenting a true picture, it will be interesting to see if Ericsson and Nokia Siemens Networks are able to retain their position in the next few years to come.