Ericsson said it expects further decline in 5G gear demand from mobile operators this year after beating fourth-quarter operating profit expectations on Tuesday helped by software sales. Telecoms equipment suppliers are expecting a challenging 2024 as 5G equipment sales - a key source of revenue - are slowing in North America, while India, a growth market, may also see a slowdown. That was mostly due to higher-margin software sales and lower sales of 5G equipment to lower-margin countries such as India. Ericsson said it would get a boost in the second half of the year from a $14 billion telecom deal with AT&T that it won over rival Nokia. The company on Tuesday also appointed Lars Sandstrom as chief financial officer, replacing long-time company veteran Carl Mellander.

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Persons: Carl Mellander, Mellander, Börje Ekholm, Ericsson, Lars Sandstrom Organizations: Ericsson, Nokia, RAN, Radio Locations: North America, India, China