GSA elects Patrik Cerwall as President

Experienced telecom strategy and market intelligence leader to guide GSA’s next phase of industry collaboration and insight

GSA today announced the election of Patrik Cerwall as its new President, effective 01 January 2027. Cerwall succeeds Joe Barrett, who is retiring from the industry and after serving 12 years as GSA President.

Cerwall, who has served on the GSA Executive Committee since 2012, brings decades of experience at the intersection of mobile technology, market intelligence and ecosystem development. He is widely recognised for his work shaping industry understanding of mobility trends and the evolution of 4G and 5G, including creating, launching and leading the highly respected and award-winning Ericsson Mobility Report since 2011. Bringing over 30 years’ of industry experience, Cerwall joins GSA from his role as Head of Strategic Marketing at Ericsson.

“GSA plays a unique role in helping the industry separate signal from noise, tracking real-world progress, connecting stakeholders and playing a central role in spectrum advocacy and standards discussions,” said Patrik Cerwall, President-elect, GSA. “I’m honoured to take on this role at a time when the industry is balancing the demands of continued 5G expansion, new network, device and chipset innovation, and a growing set of enterprise and industrial use cases beyond traditional mobile service offerings. My focus will be on strengthening GSA’s value to members and the wider community through rigorous research, practical industry programmes and open collaboration.”

Outgoing President, Joe Barrett added: “With its trusted research, industry advocacy and convening power across the mobile ecosystem, GSA is firmly established as the voice of the 3GPP vendor community. I’m delighted to be handing over the reins to Patrik as the mobile industry prepares for its next big evolution and the move to 6G. Defining and shaping the next generation of connectivity and communications will require leadership, and Patrik’s understanding of mobile operators’ priorities, vendors’ challenges, and long-standing commitment to the work of GSA makes him the perfect person to lead the association into the future.”

As President, Cerwall will work with GSA’s Executive Committee and members to advance GSA’s research agenda and industry initiatives, including:

• Strengthening GSA’s role as a trusted source of analyst-validated market intelligence on network deployment, device ecosystems, and spectrum developments
• Accelerating collaboration across members on emerging areas of industry focus, including 5G RedCap, private mobile networks, FWA, NTN, 5G Advanced and 6G
• Expanding GSA’s engagement with operators, enterprises, and policymakers to support informed decision-making and ecosystem growth

Prior to becoming President of GSA, Cerwall spent 31 years at Ericsson where he led the strategic marketing team for the Ericsson Group, developing insights and thought leadership assets for the Communication Service Provider audience. In 2011, Cerwall spearheaded the creation and establishment of the internationally acclaimed Ericsson Mobility Report, which has since gained widespread recognition and acclaim as a trusted source for market trends and facts within the mobile industry, going on to win several content marketing awards. He holds a Master of Science from KTH Royal Institute of Technology in Stockholm and has 10 approved patents in the field of mobile communication systems. Cerwall will be based in Stockholm, Sweden.