News, Business, Vendors, Global: Was it to trumpet success or announce a relaunch that Nokia Siemens Networks (NSN) invited a group of journalists to a top level briefing in London? And why does it matter to emerging markets...

NSN claims the number 2 slot after Ericsson in the infrastructure vendors league. The numbers are impressive: 262 operators in 119 countries serving 1.5 billion subscribers communicating over NSN kit. Inevitably a substantial slice of these are in emerging markets. The message from the briefing was clearly that NSN are focussed on achieving the number one slot - but not at any price, as CEO Simon Beresford-Wylie made clear: if the numbers don't add up the business will be turned away.

NSN believes its strength lies in technology, particularly radio access. All vendors are caught in a vice of huge traffic increases - NSN forecast 5 billion internet users and a 100 fold rise in data carried by 2015 - and minimal revenue growth as flat rate pricing becomes the norm. NSN's way out is through a combination of  network convergence - the move towards flatter networks, cost optimisation by increasing network capacity, the development of new content and applications derived business and reducing time to market.

Will it work? The talk was good and the line up of key personnel interesting too - at least two recent high level intakes from rivals might suggest they view NSN as a better long term bet than their former employers. There was also interesting thought on two other key areas which are very relevant to emerging markets (and dear to Developing Telecoms): the environment and ultra low cost rural communications (see separate stories on both).

Emerging markets hold the key to survival and success in the next few years for companies in this sector so on this score it looks good for NSN. But there are still Huawei and ZTE, waiting to pick up the business NSN finds uneconomic. One golden scenario for NSN is that these two slug it out with Ericsson, leaving NSN clear to move to the top of the pile. Somehow we don't think that particular scenario is likely.

We don't make forecasts here at Developing Telecoms, or at least not about the future survival of vendors, given the experience of the past few years. NSN had a tough start, particularly in view of the allegations of corruption inherited from the Siemens side of the partnership. But from the evidence presented to journalists it seems that NSN are focussing on the right issues and markets and have an understanding of the task which faces them.