Thursday 2 February 2012

MetroPCS selects Ericsson as primary Microwave backhaul equipment provider - Ericsson

MetroPCS selects Ericsson as primary Microwave backhaul equipment provider - Ericsson:

MetroPCS Communications, Inc., the fifth largest facilities-based broadband mobile wireless carrier in the United States based on number of subscribers served, has selected Ericsson (NASDAQ: ERIC) to provide microwave backhaul equipment. Ericsson is already a key infrastructure provider for the company's networks, including its 4G LTE network, and the microwave agreement expands that relationship. Under the four-year agreement, Ericsson will be MetroPCS' primary vendor to deploy microwave backhaul equipment to service MetroPCS' wireless broadband mobile networks, including its 4G LTE network.

Since launching the first commercial 4G LTE network in the Americas in September 2010, MetroPCS has expanded its networks to provide coverage in all of the major metropolitan areas the company serves across the country.

"The solution from Ericsson will allow us the flexibility to meet the growing backhaul demands of our wireless broadband mobile network, while we continue to expand the services that we provide our customers which allow them to do more than ever before on our 4G LTE network," said Roger Linquist, MetroPCS chairman and chief executive officer.

As the global market leader in microwave backhaul, Ericsson will deploy microwave backhaul equipment which will allow greater backhaul capacity, allowing a better mobile broadband experience for consumers who want to surf the web, download apps and stream video to their wireless devices. Ericsson services professionals will provide turnkey services including engineering, design, deployment and support services.

"As our world becomes more connected each day, the demands on mobile broadband networks are higher than ever before," said Angel Ruiz, head of Ericsson's North American operations. "Ericsson's technology solutions for microwave backhaul will allow MetroPCS the ability to provide the scale and superior performance needed in today's Networked Society."

Ericsson's customized microwave backhaul solution for MetroPCS will include:

MINI-LINK TN - a unique microwave transmission node, capable of handling single hops and access sites as well as advanced hub sites for large networks, optimized for traffic aggregation and capacity savings
MINI-LINK PT - a new all-outdoor MINI-LINK product optimized for packet networks, using native Ethernet over microwave
MINI-LINK SP - a multi-access aggregation platform providing a seamless migration path to the next-generation packet-switched networks