Ericsson Speaks With Starks on Supply Chain, Wireless Issues

Ericsson North America CEO Niklas Heuveldop answered questions from FCC Commissioner Geoffrey Starks on supply chain and other issues in a recent call, said a filing posted Monday in docket 21-63. Starks asked “how Ericsson has been managing supply chain issues such as silicon chip shortages brought about by the COVID pandemic,” the company said: Heuveldop responded “that global component shortages are still a challenge," but Ericsson "continues to effectively mitigate the impact in close collaboration with our U.S. customers and component suppliers. Ericsson also benefits from the new USA 5G Smart Factory in Lewisville, Texas.” Starks also asked about the FCC’s rip-and-replace program for insecure network equipment and the future of open radio access network standards and products, the filing said.